Mirage of the Midnight Sun
by Relena-Skywalker
Summary: A skywalker family fic. AU. What if Darth Vader discovered Leia's true identity on the Death Star. REVISED and easier to read!
1. Memories of a Dark Lord

Mirage of the Midnight Sun 

**By:** Relena Skywalker****

**Email: **leia_skywalker_83@yahoo.com   
  
A Skywalker family fic. Alternate Universe. What if Darth Vader discovered Leia's identity on the Death Star? Just my little speculation. Revised and re-edited for easier (I hope) reading.

  
**Chapter 1: Memories of a Dark Lord**  
  
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, stood calmly on the bridge of Star Destroyer Executor, his flag ship, one of the many things entitled to him by the emperor for being a "loyal friend and servant". 

He could still remember his master's eyes when at last he reported that the last of the Jedi has been destroyed. _..except for.._ He could feel the old burning hate returning. He would not dare say that accursed name.

Even in the privacy of his mind. The person he considered his father. No. That was Qui-Gon Jinn. Not HIM. Qui-Gon. The only one he could not bring himself to hate even as he became the sworn enemy of the Order the maverick Jedi belonged to. _Once belonged to_. Vader corrected himself. 

Qui-Gon surely would never let him down. Unlike HIM. HIM, who took everything he held dear. Especially the only person he--The hate was now waning, being slowly replaced by a sadness so deep--considered his very soul. _Padme_. Just saying the name brought back both blissful and painful memories.  
  
  


_She sat comfortably in the grass, nipping its sun-drenched blades with her hands every once in a while. Anakin contented himself with watching the shadows of overhead clouds play on her face. She would always take his breath away._

_ Realizing that Anakin was watching, no, staring at her, Padme, waved at him. She was in the same place where they first realized they had feelings for each other, though none of them would admit it at that time. They were married happily no doubt, but the Jedi council doesn't know that yet._

_ It is forbidden for a Jedi knight to marry anyone. Anakin told himself for a hundredth time, but after all that's lost during and before the battle of Geonosis, he would have gone mad if Padme hadn't been there. The Jedi council would not separate him from her. _No matter what_. He swore defiantly. His face taking an ominous expression. Her voice interrupted unpleasant thoughts._

_  
"Ani, what are you doing there? You'd turn yourself into a statue! come sit next to me. I have something to tell you." and her laughter filled his senses. He approached her smiling deviously. _Padme never ran out of surprises. What could it be this time?_  
  
"So what is it Senator? Another errand for your knight?" he said when he reached her, placing both hands on his hips and raising his chin defiantly, adopting a mock-serious look. Padme giggled as he moved closer to where she sat. "No, not just an errand Master Jedi, but a very important errand." she intoned, standing up and copying his stance. They both collapsed into the grass laughing._

_ He pressed his face closer to hers once the laughter subsided," So what is it?" he asked. She hesitated. "I saw this really beautiful flower on the festival last night, and.." she hesitated again. "Go on Padme." he said, not taking his eyes off hers. And she finally found the will to continue. "Well, this flower, its called Leiukianne, and I would really like to have that. I don't know, lately I..I was just becoming obsessed with that flower and…"_

_Anakin burst out laughing. Padme's expression hardened," What's so funny?" she demanded._

_"Oh nothing." he said, still laughing. She proceeded to beat him with her fists until he was lying on the ground. "Well, I was just surprised that you are having trouble telling me about flowers. It sounds as if you saw Dooku wearing a skirt!" Padme pouted and gave him another dark glare._

_"Jedi knight, are you going to get that flower for me or what?" she asked irritably, face hovering over his. "Of course, Milady." he said. Pulling her face closer and kissing her lips lightly. "There must be something special about that flower, because you like It." he added. _

_"So where can I find this very rare flower?" he asked when she finally let him assume a sitting position. "You can find it on..."   
  
_

_Before she could finish, a wall of flame, bursting with Dark energies separated them. He could feel the burning lava. _No! I am with Padme_. But she was no longer there, he was falling and the heat was unbearable. Someone was standing at the edge of the cliff. _Obi-wan. Help me. Please.

_But his Master turned away_. No! No! Don't! Please save me_. In the distance he could hear someone crying. _Padme. She was sad. Why? Where am I?_  
_  
  


"Lord Vader?"  
  
Suddenly, the images disappeared. He wasn't on Naboo. He wasn't falling into a lava pit either. Darth Vader was so deep into the memory that it took a moment for him to realize that he was on a Star Destroyer. 

And Padme was never there. _She would never be. Ever._ He took in the bare, mechanical surrounding. As if seeing them for the first time. _A reflection of myself, _he thought in disgust.  
  
"Yes, Commander." The Dark Lord said a little too angrily, to the already frightened officer. _Amusing_, he thought. He does not need the force to know that practically everyone on this ship and all the people he had ever worked with, was afraid of him.

He has quite a reputation. Everyone knows. Sometimes he would feel a tiniest sense of guilt for every person killed. _No. Murdered, was the more appropriate word. _Over the years. But it would immediately be crushed by the overpowering hatred inside. 

Perhaps it was a way of venting anger. But does that justify the act? _No. Of course not._ But for a man with nothing left to lose but his own dark soul, nothing else would matter. They are merely statistics now.  
  
"I wish to report that we have traced the source of the rebel transmission earlier. It was a diplomatic ship, Tantive IV. Personal vessel of Senator Leia Organa from Alderaan. We have also gathered evidence that she is indeed in league with the rebellion and.."  
  
"I have heard enough Commander. When the ship leaves the Terran atmosphere, I want you to pursue it full speed. She will give us some answers." Vader cut in. 

"I entrust this matter in your hands. Do not fail me, Commander. You know the price of failure quite well."   
  
"Yes my Lord!" The Commander saluted and proceeded to give orders to the rest of the crew.  
  
Princess Leia Organa. Somehow, it wasn't surprising that she had been a rebel. He had seen her a few times during his very short visits to Coruscant. The Emperor sent him there to observe the movements of the Imperial Senate from time to time. Exposing several traitorous elements and disposing of them. 

_"I was not elected to see my people suffer!"_

The Senator from Alderaan. She had always been the vocal one, the defiant one. He remembered sessions when most of the Senators would have particularly short and subdued speeches. Due to the fact that he, Lord Vader, would observe. 

But she was different. She went ahead with her prepared speech. Boldly stating the injustices committed by the Empire and the suffering of different worlds. She even gazed directly at him from where she stood. Almost a mirror image of someone he used to know. Someone from a long time ago. Leia. Something about the name. He must have heard it somewhere...


	2. The Princess

Mirage of the Midnight Sun 

**By:** Relena Skywalker****

**Email: **leia_skywalker_83@yahoo.com   
  
A Skywalker family fic. Alternate Universe. What if Darth Vader discovered Leia's identity on the Death Star? Just my little speculation. Revised and re-edited for easier (I hope) reading.

**Chapter 2: The Princess**  
  
On the diplomatic, turned rebel spy ship, Tantive IV. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, the transmission worked perfectly. Now they have on their hands the perfect weapon against the Empire. The Emperor won't call them an "insignificant" band of people trying to oppose him. The plans of a newly constructed monstrosity, the Death Star.

This recently finished battle station was designed to tighten the Emperor's hold on the galaxy. The symbol of his ultimate control. From what they heard, it has the capability to destroy a planet with a single strike. Many of the rebels decided that it is simply a rumor, a harmless bluff circulated to frighten them and weaken their resolve.

Now they have the plans, they would analyze it and confirm if this was true. But first they had to reach Alderaan. Where former Republic senator Bail Organa would pass this information to the Rebel High Command, lead by another former Republic senator Mon Mothma. They had every reason to be happy. Finally the Empire would suffer the worst blow they'd ever had. Hopefully. 

But as they left the Terran home world, Princess Leia Organa, Imperial Senator and daughter of Bail Organa, felt a sense of urgency. Of course with every mission she undertook, there was always a sense of urgency. But this was different. She felt as if luck had finally run out. This time there would be no escape. No escape.  
  
"Well, it could be worse if i just stayed here. I'd better check on the pilots, see if everything is fine." she said aloud, mainly to ease the fear creeping within. 

She went straight to the cockpit. The pilots noticed her and smiled. The Princess smiled back.

"Is there anything we can do for you, ma'am?" one of them asked. 

"I was just wondering. If you picked up any sign of Imperial ships nearby. Or any other Imperial activity."

The pilots checked the radar. Again. For she looked into it first before asking them.

"Oh, none so far ma'am, the coast is clear. We'll reach Alderaan in a matter of hours. We're now leaving the Terran atmosphere," they confirmed. She nodded. 

"Alright. Thank you." Leia added, patting the pilot's shoulders before going out.  
  
As the Princess made her way to the quarters, she passed by a group of rebels huddled in the hallway, talking excitedly. They didn't notice her, so she decided to listen briefly to their conversation. 

"Well, my father was a general on the Old Republic. He fought alongside the Jedi Knights. There was this great Knight they say. Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, name sounds like…Umm. Anakin. Oh I think it's like the sky or something. Anyway, this apprentice of his was a great hero and his disappearance marked the end of the Republic. They say he was the "Chosen One"...whatever that meant. And my father told me once that not all the Jedi knights died." one of them was saying. 

"Oh come on! Your father can't be general! You're bluffing! This story is nothing but a legend! Jedi knights! Yeah right! They existed but they are all gone. Purged by the Empire!" another countered. 

"It's true!" said the first one and they started squabbling. Leia felt like coming up to them and telling to stop, but their conversation invoked many thoughts...mainly about her past. She continued to walk until she reached her quarters.  
  
She found that she couldn't stop thinking about her life and how she felt about it. No. She wasn't sad. But she wasn't too happy either. Father and Mother had always provided her with the things she needed. They raised and educated her to be the fine woman she is now and loved her dearly. She was sure of that. But somehow, there was always something missing.

She just didn't know what. Sometimes she would feel that she was part of something else and never even given the chance to be. Even as a child she had these feelings, and would often be reduced to crying for no apparent reason. But she never showed this to her parents. Somehow she felt indebted to their kindness and would never make them sad. 

The only person she could openly tell these feelings was her friend. Padme. Or was it? Her father assigned Padme to be her babysitter and guardian. The moment Leia saw Padme; she felt an extreme rush of happiness, as if she saw her mother. But that couldn't be right, because Renoeu Organa was her mother. Renoeu loved her. 

But it was different with Padme. The affection seemed somewhat natural. Leia laid on her bed and had a dream-filled sleep.  
  


_Seven-year-old Leia woke up very early that day. She was very excited. Padme would take her to Corrine Falls, one of the most beautiful spots on Alderaan. Though people rarely go there because the road was dangerous. She once asked her mother if they could go, and the answer was a resounding no._

_" Who told you that, Leia? Was it Padme? I told your father never to hire her! I'll tell him about this!"_

_"No, please don't, mother, I read it on a holo-pad." she lied. Leia was afraid that they would send her friend away.  
  
She doesn't want Padme to leave._

_She wondered why her mother hated Padme. She was very kind. Although sad. Once Leia asked her why. Padme just smiled and kissed her forehead, then hugged her tightly. She could feel Padme's anguish._

_ "Was i making you sad?"_

_"No, no, princess you would never make me sad, in fact you're the only thing that makes me happy after all that's happened."_

_"What happened?"_

_"Someday, I'll tell you. And you'll understand." _

_Padme grabbed Leia's arm and stared intently into the young girl's eyes._

_"Promise me Leia. You wont forget me. No matter what."_

_"No, of course not. I would never forget you Padme. No matter what. Because I know you'll always be here. Promise me too that you'll always be here."  
  
Padme nodded."Yes Leia, always."_

_"Thank you."_

_Then Padme reached into her pocket."Here, i would like you to have this." _

_Padme opened her palms and Leia saw a wooden pendant. An exquisite piece of art, the person who made that must have spent a lot of time on that. She could almost feel the kindness and compassion radiating from the pendant. The maker must be a very noble man._

_"It's beautiful. But it's yours." Leia protested._

_"No Leia, i want you to have this. Keep it as a symbol of our—my--love for you." _

_So no matter where Leia went she carried the necklace, or when afraid she would touch it for comfort.  
  
Leia dressed herself and bounded down the stairs. She saw her parents sitting on a couch. Waiting for her it seemed. It was her father who spoke first._

_"Leia, we need to tell you something. Its about Padme." Bail Organa paused._

_Leia felt her stomach tighten. It's as if a thousand mynocks were stuck on her stomach wall. There is something very wrong. But being her usual self she tried to put on her happiest expression._

_"Well, what happened to Padme, father?" _

_Bail was unsure of what to say next._

_It was Renoeu who spoke."Honey, Padme left this morning. She's gone back to her home. We're sorry." Renoeu proceeded to hug her. But Leia felt like an exploding volcano. _

No! She can't be gone! She just can't be gone! She promised to stay! Always! She promised_._

_She brushed Renoeu's arms away and screamed."Stay away from me! It's all your fault! You sent her away! I hate you all!" Then ran upstairs sobbing.  
  
Not only Bail and Renoeu were surprised by this sudden change in Leia's behaviour. But the Princess herself. She had always been calm and collected. Even for a seven year old, never one to give in to anger. _

_And she rarely got irritated. So why was her reaction so…so severe? Her father was never violent and so was her mother. How come? She just couldn't understand._

_When Leia had managed to calm herself down. She stood near the open window. And whispered into the night._

_"Was i making you sad?" Clutching the pendant tightly. _

_As a teardrop fell light years away.  
_  
  


She was startled awake by the ship rocking furiously. 

"Your Highness! Wake up! We've got company...arghhh!" 

Blaster bolts were heard. All traces of the dream forgotten, Leia rushed outside with the spare blaster she kept hidden under her pillow. 

True. The Empire had finally caught up with her, but she wasn't going down without a fight.


	3. Confrontation

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 3: Confrontation  
  
"Lord Vader, we have the rebel ship. it will only be a few moments before they are within reach of our tractor beam."   
  
"Very well, commander. I do not wish to harm our guests. set all weapons for stun. prepare a boarding party to accompany me." the dark lord intoned, then stalked out of the bridge into the docking bay.  
  
Leia Organa walked or rather stalked alone in the now empty corridors of the Tantive IV, she could hear blaster fire somewhere, she felt sorry and afraid.afraid and sorry. she knew her fellow rebel comrades were fighting valiantly, doing everything they can to keep the empire off. Though she knew it was really no use. She hated herself for being like this...hiding when she knew she should be fighting alongside them. She had always despised the way some rebel commanders behave.Especially her nemesis in the alliance high command, Rodes Elrond, who prefer to sit back and relax while his men died for the rebel cause, while those people who truly believed in what they are fighting for wasted their precious lives under the command of such incompetent people like Rodes. Somehow, she had the feeling that Rodes was only there for personal gain, to satisfy his lust for power, as he was a failed Imperial Navy Cadet, Leia snorted in disgust, "if you cant succeed with the empire, then join the rebels.." she almost said out loud. She'd have to deal with this matter when she gets back. But for now as guilty as she felt, she had to hide.That is until she could get the Death Star plans stashed somewhere safe.Perhaps those droids she saw around the ship earlier. she rounded a corner and had the luck to come across an artoo unit, she hurried to approach it, there simply isnt enough time to punch the right codes, the plans must be hidden otherwise they'll have in their hands the blood of millions of people in the galaxy, somehow Leia felt that she had the obligation to prevent those atrocious deeds. she quickly inserted the holovid in the droid's storage unit. and hurried in the other direction. besides the plans there was also a message intended for Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, an old friend, her father had said, hero of the Clone Wars. If he even existed. She heard footsteps behind her, the rebel princess turned swiftly, only to find two storm troopers.."there's one, set for stun." one of them said, she fired her weapon, hitting one of them, but it was too late, she found herself losing her consciousness rapidly. in a few seconds she was lying on the floor, out cold.   
  
"If this is a consular ship... where is the Ambassador?" The Dark lord held the rebel soldier firmly by the neck, lifting him off the ground, the man made a few gurgling noises before his neck finally snapped. "Commander, tear this ship apart until you've found those plans and bring me the Ambassador. I want her alive!" Vader ordered after finally dropping the dead man onto the floor before continuing his advance inside the captured vessel. The Princess was making a good job of hiding from me..Vader thought, both irritated and impressed.He continued walking through the empty corridors of the ship. Doing away with occassional rebel soldiers he met along the way. He glanced at one of Tantive IV's reinforced windows, suddenly he saw, or thought he saw Padme's face..her expression was one halfway between happiness and sadness...what are you trying to tell me? why here? why now?...he questioned the image in his mind. he stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, and when he looked again, Padme's image was gone, as if she had never been there..she wasnt there, you fool! what makes you think she'll be there?!... the Dark Lord reprimanded himself silently.almost laughing out loud at his own foolishness..but he still felt somehow disturbed by what he saw...he had a sneaking suspicion that this has somehow something to do with...but no, this just cannot be..his capture of Senator Organa?..the commlink beeped incessantly..better hurry, if those fools cannot find her...then i will..he answered the still beeping comm.."what is it commander?" he demanded.  
  
"Lord Vader, we have the princess in our custody, she's on her way to the docking bay."..."Well done, Commander. I will be there in a moment."... for the moment he decided to put his personal problems aside. he had to retrieve those plans. for they are crucial to the empire. his master would not be pleased if he could not recover them. he turned around and swiftly headed to the direction of the docking bay...we shall see how will you hold out, your highness...  
  
This is NOT happening!...Leia Organa frantically repeated these words in her mind, as she was being lead to the star destroyer's docking bay.Her head still swam slightly because of the stun blast she received earlier..but she barely noticed it.She could not believe that she had truly been captured, she had many close calls, and those had given her that strange forebodding that, indeed, one day, the empire would truly capture her..but not now! she thought..not now! not when we are so close to...defeating them? she laughed inwardly despite herself..she had stashed those plans on an Artoo unit, but she had no idea where the droid is now, if it even reached its destination, or captured by the empire, like her. but no, she wont give up..she thought feebly. it was so hard not to give up, when you knew that it was the feared Lord Vader who captured you, if an ordinary officer had her she wouldnt even flinch...but now...she suddenly wished her father was here...no! she told herself sternly...Leia Organa, the lives of many people depend on you..at least for this moment..you have to be strong.You knew that this would eventually happen when you decided to join the rebellion, so stop acting like some spoiled brat and face your situation!...that seemed to work, and eventually her thoughts quieted down..her heart had barely began to beat normally when she saw the figure at the end of the corridor and the trademark breathing grew louder as she approached...her knees nearly buckled but she controlled herself, she will not give anything that would please him..never..well, senator organa...there's no turning back now,we might as well get this over with...she decided to put on her haughtiest expression and walked a little faster.  
  
The Dark Lord waited patiently as the frail figure in white flanked by stormtroopers approached him...she looked familiar,too familiar..not only because he had seen her before, but because now that he had a closer look at her features..he couldnt help but notice that she had a striking resemblance to...no, its no use thinking about that now...he told himself once again. but he still took in her appearance...light brown hair, brown eyes, and her face...she did really look a lot like...but he quieted his thoughts immediately, as she was only a few steps away from him..back to work..  
  
"Lord Vader, I should have known. Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this, when they hear you've attacked a diplomatic..." Leia began, but the Dark Lord cut her off. "Don't play games with me, Your Highness. You weren't on any mercy mission this time. You passed directly through a restricted system. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you." Leia decided to use that very old tactic.Deny everything.At least you'll have a chance.or she hoped so... "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan..." she countered, supressing her increasing fear.She looked straight into the Dark Lord's eyes, or where his eyes were supposed to be.he pointed an accusing finger at her, not unlike her father bail when she did something wrong and refused to admit it. "You're a part of the Rebel Alliance... and a traitor. Take her away!"   
  
And the Rebel Princess was marched through the blasted door of the Tantive IV.this is going to be a long day...so much to do...the dark lord thought wearily.He lingered into the Tantive IV's corridor for a while before following his troops.Somehow, he always felt exhausted. He just couldnt figure out why.."Ani?"..he was stunned.he couldnt move.had he really heard that?..enough! this is foolish. he turned around and finally followed his troops into the star destroyer, but in the corner of his eye he thought he saw padme again standing in the Tantive IV's corridor, watching him it seemed, her expression the same as when he saw her face on the window earlier...What is it that you know, padme?...he asked again...but her image was gone now. there was only darkness inside the captured vessel. 


	4. An Ocean of Memories

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun   
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 4: An Ocean of Memories  
  
On a floating, shipless ocean,I did all my best to smile,Here I am, Here I am,Waiting to hold you.  
  
"Song to the Siren" By Mortal Coil  
  
Leia paced around on one of the Executor's detention cells. She knew they would be docking soon, but where? Surely they could have interrogated her on the Executor, but then they decided to keep her in a detention cell for a little while longer..."this could be bad..this is bad!" she said out loud.She felt like crying but no...she couldnt lose her composure now..not now.She had heard many stories of Darth Vader's cruelty, both to enemies and Imperials. His temper and impatience were quite legendary. He was quick to do away with people who disappointed,angered or failed him...well i did not disappoint or fail him, but i sure did make him angry, im sure he'll kill me, or torture me until i tell him where those plans are...but he wont get what he wants, i'll make sure of that! the rebellion had suffered enough, she wont make it suffer any further...many of my men, my friends died to protect me, their deaths wont be in vain!...came another fierce thought. she stopped pacing for a while, and just stared into nothing, if padme was here what would she do?...she was always calm...why am i suddenly thinking about her? what would padme know...she was just my baby sitter...just my babysitter..yes.but even then leia suspected that there was more to padme than just being her babysitter...she seemed too..regal to be just a babysitter...and whenever leia thinks of the word "mother", it was padme's image that burns at the back of her mind...as always, padme was mother to leia...leia knew it was somehow wrong because Renoeu was her real mother, but it was also right...bad leia...padme left you because you're bad...you make her sad...she remembered whispered conversations from the past, the ones you feel you need to know, but forbidden to...no, we cant tell her that...that was mother...i know...a pity, they had to endure this...a mysterious man...visiting her sometimes...you must be leia...yes..and how are you leia...fine, sir...why are you here sir?...no leia stop asking too many questions...more whispered words...more important than all the senate meetings she ever attended...secrets...secrets...but stop asking too many questions...suddenly leia felt very angry...why?..what were they keeping from me?!...dont i have the right to know?...before i..leia found herself clutching the pendant given to her by padme...no leia you wont die... a silent word...a silent soul, tormented...not yet...not yet...little leia always seemed calm, but inside she is too angry, she knew...somehow she had to release her anger if she was to keep her composure...she focused on the cell door...the symbol of her being caged...a prisoner...both literaly and emotionally...there's always a door...locked...cannot reach...her anger reaching to an almost boiling point...  
  
She was about to kick the cell door when it opened with a hiss. and she came face to face once again with the Dark Lord.Flanked by several stormtroopers, one of them grabbed her arms roughly and shackled them to her back once more. she immediately silenced her thoughts, she wondered how she could do that, at will. even as a child she could feel when people lie to her, sometimes she could hear their thoughts or feel what they feel...hmmm..strange little leia,but she did not dare tell her father or mother that...and when she wants to block something out of her mind, she could do so, like that light switch in Bail Organa's room that leia had been fixated to when she was 5 years old...on and off... light and dark...early morning and the dead of the night...  
  
Darth Vader eyed the princess warily, before he entered the room. he could sense several thoughts...feelings...anger...sadness...and he thought he heard a very familiar name spoken...but now that he was here he could sense nothing as though he had hit a blank wall...he subtly probed her mind once more...but he felt like being repelled over and over again...how could she do that...must have been trained well...but he had questioned many people before...hardened assassins, spies with far more training than her...if that was a natural ability...then it could only mean one thing...she was force sensitive...but she cant be because neither bail nor his wife were...he will deal with this later...for now a job must be accomplished..."your highness, we have arrived, i shall oversee the 'procedures' and in the end i'm sure you will give us the answers regarding those plans." he said,bass tones echoing on the cell block. " you will get no such thing lord vader." The princess said vehemently. "we shall see your highness, we shall see.." The Dark Lord motioned his troops to follow, which they did immediately.  
  
Leia found herself being shoved violently to the cell opening..."I can walk! Thank you!" she hissed at the stormtrooper in question. The man slackened his grip a bit and stopped shoving her, she squared her shoulders and glared at the trooper, who just shrugged and pushed her forward. She was now walking alongside the Dark Lord.She glanced sideways at the black clad giant...wondering who the man behind the mask was...if that even existed...she thought sarcastically...still she found herself feeling sorry for him...how painful it must be to wear that cumbersome mask all the time...no!...why in coruscant's name would anyone feel sorry for the most evil being in the galaxy, save the Emperor!? As her father told her this person was responsible for the death of many people, the Jedi purge, the suffering of many worlds, and he does not seem to regret it one bit!...She mercilessly crushed her pity immediately...the only person who i'm sorry for was myself for being in his clutches!...still that tiny bit of sympathy remained...making her more furious with herself, for being invaded by such feelings...as if sensing her distress the Dark Lord turned his attention to her..."Anything the matter, Princess?" he asked in a tone that startled her...it was as if he was really concerned...who were you kidding? she thought...he's just playing games...trying to see if you will give up...well sorry My Lord...that wont happen..."Everything is the matter Lord Vader." She said in a neutral tone, like the ones she used during her Senate days. The Dark Lord said nothing and continued walking, then, something seemed to cross her mind...they were now passing through a narrow corridor and a large door could be seen at the end..."you said we arrived, where?"...she blurted out. Vader did not answer. In fact it seems as if he never heard her speak.  
  
//Nine year old Anakin Skywalker, walked alongside Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi..."Master, are you sure this is right?" Kenobi was saying. "The council..."..."The council, my young padawan, will listen to my arguments, I am sure Master Yoda will understand." Qui-Gon countered. Kenobi did not object this time, he knew Qui-Gon, once he made up his mind no one, not even the wrath of the whole Jedi Council could stop him. He glanced sideways at Anakin. "I promise sir, I wont be trouble..." Anakin assured them once again. "I know my boy, I know.Do not be scared." Qui-Gon smiled and patted Anakin on the shoulder, they were now on the narrow corridor leading to the Council chamber. Anakin was worried and afraid, he was worried about his mother whom he left in Tatooine...still a slave, he wished that when they freed him, his mother would be freed as well. but things did not turn out that way. now...too many things he could not understand...too many...he will now be judged by the Jedi Council...he desperately wanted to be a jedi...when he became one...he'll come back to Tatooine and free his mother...and all the slaves...the Jedi is the answer to everything...that thought was imprinted in his young mind...he believed in it completely...he dreamed of a world where no one is above anyone, where everyone is equal...yes...when i become a jedi knight......everyone will be happy...no one will be made to suffer...no one...those thoughts seemed to strengthen his resolve...but just the same, his fate still lay in the hands of those who will judge him...i will become the most powerful jedi someday...were his last thoughts before the large ornate doors swallowed the three of them.//  
  
They were now at the end of the corridor.And Vader still hadnt answered my question!...leia thought furiously...anyway, it isnt likely that they'll bring me somewhere nice...if anything they'd just as soon throw her into a melting lava pit, if not for the plans...but just the same she had to know, for she loathed not knowing..she was about to repeat her question when the doors opened...leia saw an assortment of imperial troops, even larger than the ones she saw on Coruscant every "Loyalty Day" celebration...what's going on?...where am i really?...She thought it unlikely that they were still on the Executor for she could see that it was now in orbit...orbiting what?...an officer approached them..."Lord Vader, welcome back, Governor Tarkin was waiting in the Conference Room."...Leia scowled at the mention of Tarkin's name.If there was one being in the galaxy that ought to be fed to a Rancor, that was none other than Tarkin, if she were to choose between Tarkin and Vader, she would have chosen Vader without batting an eyelash. She had met Tarkin a couple of times in the Senate and often times she found herself fantasizing about choking the air out of him...of course that slime was behind this!..."I will be there shortly Commander." vader was saying.The dark Lord turned to face her.."Welcome to the Death Star, Your Highness. We have much to discuss."..."Commander, escort the prisoner to the maximum security cell. And await my orders."..."Yes, Lord Vader!" With that, Vader strode to the other direction, while Leia was once again shoved roughly..."Come along you.." the officer told her. She glared at him for a moment then continued walking to the direction of the holding cells.  
  
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Another note from the Author: thanks to Mr. Marcelo Ripa from Star Wars Philippines for taking time to read my fic. 


	5. Worlds Apart

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun   
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 5: Worlds Apart  
  
Eighteen year old Luke Skywalker was bored.Another day was added to his past and nothing seemed to be happening...nothing of importance at least...he thought.While all his friends have decided to get on with their lives and be part of a larger world by joining the Academy, he, Luke Skywalker, was trapped in his uncle Owen's moisture farm...doing absolutetly nothing, nothing that he liked to be exact. Ever since he was a little boy, he hated farming, it was tedious, boring, repeatitive, and above all, a go-nowhere job. You just stay in the four corners of your place, except for the occassional trips to Mos Eisley...yeah very occassional...not counting the times he would hide in his Uncle's speeder when his uncle refused to let him go 'officially',...his uncle doesnt seem to want him anywhere except this place, as if luke would automatically cause trouble if he went anywhere..."uncle, please! i swear! I wont cause trouble! just let me come with you!"...luke's own voice as a seven year old echoed in his mind..."no luke, you stay here and help your Auntie Beru, i'll just buy you something when i get back...how about some Eisley Chocos, huh?"..."NO! I dont want chocos, i want to come with you!" luke shouted as much as his little voice would allow...it was not really a tantrum...in his opinion that is...for in his little mind he's talking as rationally as possible...but to his dismay his Uncle seemed to think otherwise, for Owen wagged his finger warningly..."Luke, watch your tone. You're not coming with me and that's it! You should be grateful i'm buying you something after what you've shown today." Luke was about to say something else but the look on his Uncle's face told him not to.the argument was over...and i lost...he thought glumly. little luke just nodded in defeat...his uncle crouched down so that his face was level with luke's..."Hey, dont look so sad, I promise, when you're a little older you can come with me."... uncle Owen ruffled Luke's hair and patted his shoulders...Luke nodded again, but he didnt feel any better...he really wanted to go..."Beru! Take care of Luke! I'll be back in a while!...Luke could hear Aunt Beru's muffled reply coming from the house...Uncle Owen smiled at Luke once more, climbed the speeder and was off in a moment, Luke watched until the speeder was merely a dot in the horizon...someday i'll get out of here..."Luke! luke! breakfast is ready!"...Aunt beru's voice broke his thoughts..."Coming Auntie!"...he glanced at Tatooine's rising twin suns before entering the house. The same argument would ensue for three years, before his Uncle Owen finally let Luke come with him to Mos Eisley, with of course some convincing from his Aunt Beru..."Owen, Luke's ten years old already...let him come, I think he's old enough, and wont cause trouble..., would you Luke?"..."No, of course not Aunt Beru."...Uncle Owen nodded, even though he does not seem entirely convinced about the matter..."Alright,Alright, hop in.."  
  
//His first trip to Mos Eisley would forever be etched to Luke's mind. He had never seen such an assorment of peoples, humans, aliens alike,going everywhere, going somewhere, and nowhere."Hey, Uncle Owen, where are we going?" Luke asked after sometime."We'll purchase some tools we'll need and replacements for some of the broken ones from last year."...oh..."hey, can we visit the Medden Ring? I want to see those pod racers my friend Biggs was bragging about."...Medden Ring was the only "theme park on Tatooine, built by Da'ala the Hutt to entertain himself, but later opened to the public for more profits..."No, we cant, do you know how much a ticket to that would cost? Pod racing? since when did you decide to dabble with that? So, that's the reason you would come home so late after i asked you to deliver something, huh?"..said his uncle in a very irritated tone even though Luke could not see his face due to the fact that they were being sweeped by the crowd and his uncle's back was to him...Luke could already feel that he'll be given a nice long lecture when they get home..."What's so wrong with pod racing anyway? my friends have tried it and i also got my"...ooops better not push it...his uncle didnt know yet that he had built his own mini-pod racer, and had been joining a couple of small races with friends around Beggar's Canyon, one of the most treacherous places in Tatooine...one slip, and you're done for...but Luke never slipped...oh, a few close calls,but...a small smile spreading through his lips..."What do you mean what's wrong?...Uncle Owen's voice sliced through his reverie..."I'll tell you what's wrong...its dangerous,totally nonsense and..."..."hey! It's not nonsense, it's exciting and I'm sure people like you wont even last a second!" Luke blurted out without thinking and realized too late that he had just cut his uncle off while talking...Owen stopped walking and faced Luke."You will not behave like that again, do you understand?" the coldness in his Uncle's voice made him flinch...Luke nodded..like he always did when the arguments would go too far and often he would say things he would regret later...then added a weak.."Im sorry."...not meeting his Uncle's eyes. This seemed to appease his Uncle, though irritation was still evident in his face...his uncle turned his back once more and they resumed walking..."like his father!"...huh? had he just heard his uncle speak?..."what is it uncle,you sayin' something?..."no, i did not say anything." was the reply..."that was strange, i heard your voice and..." Luke continued, feeling confused.."you did not hear anything!" his uncle replied once again in a very terse manner. Luke decided to drop the subject...one of those moments again...when he could hear someone else's thoughts...or thought he could...reason why he would sometimes get into a fight for apparently nothing..."but i heard him say that!..."..."I didnt say anything!"...luke sighed...there are too many things hidden from me...but im sure one day i'll get the answers...i hope. he couldnt help but feel it had something to do with the man called "Father", that he was forbidden to talk or ask about.They continued walking in silence. His gaze fell on the buildings and other structures, some were so large it took him a few minutes and the constant tugging from his uncle to take his eyes away and some so small and shabby that he did not give a second look...awesome...was all he could think of...eyes wide with wonder.He was so busy looking around that he did not notice when his uncle rounded a corner...luke wanted to explore alone at first without his uncle constantly bulldozing him through the crowd or grabbing him before he could have a much better look at anything that interested him, namely pod racer parts...but now that he could not see his uncle anywhere, Luke felt afraid...oh no! this is not a good time to be lost...he felt panic taking over him...he could not move..."Hey! Kid! Move!"...huh?...what the?...a very loud noise was coming from behind him...he started to turn around, but too late...a very large Huttese vehicle was looming toward him, seems intent on crushing him...oh! huttspit!... a flash of brown...and he was lying on the ground...the vehicle continued on its way but Luke wasnt crushed..."are you alright?"...a warm voice...Luke turned to the direction of the voice.."uh, who you? yeah..im alright..." at first he could only see the vague outline of a man wearing a cloke...the man held out his hand and in a few moments Luke was once again standing..."That was a close call."...the kind man was saying..."uh, yeah, guess i spaced out...thanks for saving me.." and then realizing that his uncle was still nowhere in sight, his brief feeling of relief was replaced once again with panic..."oh, huttspit! I have to find my uncle!"...he started scanning the crowd furiously."...forgetting that the man was still beside him.."Now,it wouldnt do good to be panicky." the man said, touching his shoulder..."how can i NOT panic?? It's my first time here, i have no idea how to get anywhere, much less go back home!" Luke nearly shouted. to his annoyance, the man merely chuckled,"what's so funny?" Luke demanded. "Oh, nothing, young Luke, nothing."...the man continued smiling..."Hey, you just said my name, how did you know that? do i know you?"..."ah, too many questions, my name is Ben.Kenobi."..."Luke. Skywalker.Sorry for shouting.didnt mean to.thanks again for saving me."..."ah not to worry young Luke."..."I wish you'd stop calling me that.I'm not that young." Luke said, slightly irritated..."Of course, now let's go find your uncle."...They headed to the direction of the Hardware and Parts stores, scanning the people.  
  
Luke decided to take a good look at the man who saved his life...brown hair, longish beard...he couldnt place it but the man's disposition gave him the impression that he had been through a lot and that he seems to know a lot. Including Luke's name."Um, you didnt answer my question earlier, how did you know my name?..."oh that,i know a lot of things Luke."...that's pretty vague, Luke thought. but he decided not to push it, for all he knew, should Ben get pissed he could very well be left alone in the middle of nowhere which is definitely not a good thing..."where do you live?"..."the dune sea"..."oh. isnt that dangerous? tusken raiders."..."not really."...scan..scan..."So, tell me, what did your uncle tell you about your father?" Ben asked after a few moments of silence. luke was stunned."my father? oh well, said he was a navigator on a spice freighter."..."and your mother?" Ben inquired. "she was a doctor on a medical friggate."..."oh"...."what do you mean, 'oh' do you know my parents?"..luke asked, truly puzzled.but before he could ask any more questions..."Luke! where have you been?!" his uncle's face was a mixture of anger and relief..."sorry, i lost you back there..."Luke mumbled when his uncle was beside him.."he was nearly run over by a huttese ship."...Ben spoke...uncle Owen eyed him warily, Ben did the same. They seemed to be communicating through their eyes. "is this true?"..."uh, yeah...Ben saved me though."...a rather forced "thank you"..."come on Luke, we're leaving."..."thanks"...luke told Ben one last time...Ben merely nodded. "What did he tell you?" Uncle Owen asked, when they got home."Nothing. Just asked me bout my parents."..."Like what?"...Luke was starting to feel irritated..."Just who they were."..."And?"...."And? I told him what you told me."..."Did he say anything else?"...his uncle pressed on..."No. Nothing else. listen uncle i hate to be rude but i'm tired, can go to my room now?"....his uncle nodded...Luke suspected that Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, will have those whispered conversations again...but he was too tired to care and fell asleep right away.// 


	6. Hopes in Confusion

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun   
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 6: Hopes in Confusion  
  
"Ouch!"...huh?...Luke was startled. He realized that he had been staring into nothing for a very long time.He checked his surroundings...oh well..he had been cleaning droid parts in his uncles scrap yard moments before he fell into some sort of trance and started relieving his less than happy childhood days...he then noticed the source of his "awakening"...his right hand palm throbbed...ow...been scouring the circuit braker too hard...the scouring knife must have slipped...and...weird things happened frequently these past few days...oh well...just then, Luke saw, or thought he saw a bright streak in the Tatooine skyline...somehow he had a bad feeling about it...meteorite perhaps...but it was only noon...meteorites often fall in the evening...really weird...but its better than mundane...with another sigh Luke decided that he had enough with the circuit braker...he wiped his hands on the washcloth and headed outside the yard...his face suddenly brightened...for he remembered that today he was going to pick up some power converters at the Toshi Station...of course there was nothing interesting about the errand itself...what was interesting was what he would do afterwards...he was to meet with his childhood friends Biggs Darklighter, Eirine Lumino and Colos Desko afterwards, they planned to have a get-together, by way of a pod race on Beggar's Canyon before Eirine and Biggs leave for the Academy,and Colos to the Spice Mines of Kessel to help his father. Luke once again felt an immeasurable envy towards his friends..."when will i get out of here?!"..he whispered unto himself in frustration.he had asked his uncle several times about his application to the Academy, but then, the answer was always no..well, not really...his uncle kept on saying..."Only one more season. This year we'll make enough on the harvest so I'll be able to hire some more hands. And then you can go to the Academy next year."...not exactly the same phrase, but a varied version of that..and Luke felt increasingly like a caged animal...he was so absorbed in his own thoughts and did not notice when his Aunt Beru came across the yard, carrying some Ertice Sticks, these long bulb-like plants were their main crop...Ow!...too late he bumped, more like crashed into Aunt Beru..."Oh...im so sorry Aunt Beru..i wasnt looking and..." Luke hurriedly picked the scattered plants. His Aunt just smiled and waved her hand dimissively..."Nothing to be sorry about Luke, you didnt break a bone." she added chuckling..."Is everything alright Luke? I noticed your face earlier..you seem to be upset about something..." Aunt Beru inquired softly...even though she knew the reason for that more or less..."Oh, nothing Aunt Beru...just thinking...you know my friends are leaving for the Academy...while I..." He began in a very dejected tone...His Auntie embraced him...and kissed him on the forehead, much like when he was little."I know, dont worry, I'll talk to your Uncle, who knows i might convince him once again..." she said sympathetically...Luke said nothing.But smiled and hugged his Auntie back..."Where's Uncle?"...he finally said, changing the topic and handling the last of the sticks to his Aunt..."oh he's outside, expecting Jawas...we need new droids...i'll be in the kitchen, tell your uncle that in case he comes looking for me..."..."of course..."...he said and watched his Aunt disappear inside the house...then a strange forebodding overcame him...he suddenly felt like he'll never see his Aunt again..."Hey, Aunt Beru!" he called before she totally went inside..."yes, Luke?"..."Thank You for Everything."..."You're welcome Luke, as always."...Luke decided to forget that strange feeling and went outside to assist his uncle some more before meeting his friends...still he couldnt shake his increasing dread, something was going to happen today, something unexpected, something drastic, very drastic...get it together Skywalker...he berated himself..you'll end up looking like a Hutt, if you keep thoughts like that...  
  
Darth Vader stood patiently behind Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin's chair, but in reality the Dark Lord was irritated, his meeting with Governor Tarkin and the other Imperial Officers was taking toll on his nerves, he'd rather strangle all of them to death, if only the circumstances would permit,even in his early days as an Imperial he never had much tolerance with politics and all the business surrounding it, for him politicians do nothing but beat around the bush rather than come up with up-to-the minute solutions to problems at hand...but no, he does not hate ALL politicians, after all his master once was a politician in the Old Republic and so was his...no Padme was not your wife..he painfully corrected himself, she was Anakin Skywalker's wife, and Anakin was long gone, if not his body, then his spirit and his humanity.. that's the reason he asked to be given a more marshall role in the imperial hierarchy, much to the envy and dismay of many.... yes, including the "much revered" Governor Tarkin and that very talkative Grand Admiral Motti who, for the last thirty minutes have done nothing but brag and boast about his creation,eventually prompting Vader to remind him which power is greater, but to Vader's dismay Tarkin intervened,..."as you wish.." the Dark Lord intoned.But of course it did not change his opinion on the matter and of Motti, there was nothing more powerful than the Power of the Force...you couldnt expect people like Motti to appreciate that...he thought disdainfully...even though Tarkin and Motti were not politicians per se, they tend to act like one at times which greatly annoys the Dark Lord, and these were one of those times...Vader gritted what was left of his teeth inside the mask, while the Admirals argued over...nothing...at least in Vader's opinion...the solution was always clear for him...always."We cannot do that! If the Senate finds out, this could generate sympathy for the rebellion..." a particularly plump officer named Reiter was saying..."The Emperor has recently abolished the Imperial Senate, following Organa's capture. The direct command was handed to the Regional Governors..."Tarkin explained...more arguments...Vader focused his attention to the dot at the back of Tarkin's chair, to avoid more unpleasant thoughts involving his "comrades", just when he thought the dot was turning into a hole because of his concentration..."Lord Vader,"...Tarkin's acrid voice forced him back to reality.."the meeting is adjourned, for now, do what it takes, and I mean all means, to make Organa reveal what she knows.Those plans WILL be recovered at all costs.We shall convene again later to analyze the results."..."of course."...Vader answered back as politely as possible and swiftly went out of the room, pushing back some of the other officers on his way out.  
  
First things first, before the Dark Lord headed to the direction of the Maximum Security Prison, he went to his med chamber and contacted his crew on the Executor. "Commander,did you find anything else when you searched the rebel ship?"..."we found a few things, my lord, though I doubt that they would be important, mostly personal belongings of the Senator..."..."i will decide what is important and what is not, commander." Vader cut in. It isnt unlikely for spies and rebels to conceal something on their personal belongings, even though the Princess would be far too smart to do that. According to spy reports she had lead several dangerous and important missions since joining the Rebellion including the damaging raid on the heavily guarded Imperial Armory on Katal. It had been a nearly fatal blow, fortunately the rebels had been unable to steal the intended bio-chemical weapons on the Laboratory Level as reinforcements arrived on time. So leaving something that can be used against her on her belongings is decidedly something beyond the Princess. But just the same he had to be sure."Send someone to deliver all the recovered items to me" the Dark Lord said at last."Yes, My Lord." and the Commander's image flickered and disappeared. The Dark Lord decided to meditate while waiting for the said materials to be delivered, mainly to quiet the recent emotional turmoil within him...something he hasnt experienced in a very long time since he became Darth Vader...he opened himself to the Force, letting it envelope his consciousness...almost all at once memories came flooding back to him...  
  
//"...that flower could be found in the Caves of Elysium, up in the Nubian highlands...it's very rare and very beautiful..." Padme finished with a smile."What was the name of the flower?"...Anakin asked again...he was so entranced on Padme's face as she spoke...that he forgot to really pay attention to what she was actually saying, which both flattered and annoyed Padme..."Ani, you weren't paying attention to me!"...she said glaring at him..."Hey, I'm listening, I'm looking at you the whole time!" he jockingly defended himself..."Anakin Skywalker, we use the ears for listening!" Padme said while she pulled his left ear..."OW! No fair Senator! I'll report this to the Council, Abuse of a Jedi Knight!"..."oh really!?!" Padme countered,putting her hands on her hips and running after Anakin who had began to run to the meadows laughing.  
  
Anakin continued to run to the riverside, he was mesmerized for a moment by the beauty of the giant cascading waterfalls and the equally giant but slippery rocks a few feet from him,and the river current was quite dangerous too, he noted...then noticed that Padme was no longer following...where could she be?..."Hey, Padme?!...where are you?" he asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice...no answer...it was too quiet..."Padme??!..no answer still...he thought about using the force, then saw a part of Padme's summer dress on one of the rocks...it was torn...his danger sense flared...what if she fell while chasing after me??...what have i...? but before he could finish his thoughts Padme tackled him from behind, laughing..."Hah! I got you there! you should have seen your face! It was priceless!"...she said triumphantly..."You scared me!"...he said in mock anger..."and for that..."...he pulled Pame closer and kissed her deeply...  
  
"So, the name of the flower again?"...he asked as they were walking back to the house..."I will not tell you again, because you were not listening, but I will describe it to you, so you will know."...was Padme's answer..."Ok, ok, I give up , I'm sorry ok? So, how does it look like then?"..."It's the only flower that splits into two as time goes by, and the strange thing is, one has all black petals and the other has all white..."..."oh, that was nice..." Anakin conceded. Padme stopped for a while and looked piercingly at Anakin..."Hey, what is it? did i say something wrong?" the jedi knight said with a hint of alarm.."No, it's not that, Ani, how would you feel if...if...you were to become a father?"...Anakin was taken aback by the question...could it be that...seeing his reaction Padme explained further..."No, it's not what you're thinking, i wasnt pregnant yet...but eventually i'll be...i just want to know how you would feel?..."Padme, what kind of question was that?"...he said, a little hurt...true. he never had a father, but that doesn't mean he'll never be a good one, right?..."Ani, I didnt mean to... it's just a question, please..."..."Nah, it's nothing, dont worry." Anakin squeezed Padme's hand for assurance. "Of course, i'll be the happiest person in the whole galaxy! They will be the Prince and Princess of my life, as their mother was the Queen." He said solemnly...Padme beamed and embraced him before they continued walking to the direction of the house hand in hand...I will always protect my children...I will make sure they'll never suffer like i did...i'll always love them...he thought, feeling already protective to the still unnamed and unformed soul or souls...somewhere in time...//  
  
A sound invaded his meditation..."Yes, Commander..." The Dark Lord intoned, feeling annoyed at the image in the screen."Lord Vader, the Senator's personal effects had been delivered a few minutes ago."..."Bring them to me.Here, in my chamber. I will personally conduct the examination."..."Yes My Lord." And the Commander's image was gone...i am missing something...he thought uneasily...Darth Vader felt that he was on the edge of something...something he should know...something very important...and this definitely has something to do with Leia Organa...he was almost sure...almost...not because she was a member of the Rebel Alliance...but because of something more important...but what?? the tension was so thick in the air that Vader was sure he could cut it with a light saber. The door beeped, signaling that someone was at the other side."Come in."...A droid emerged from the chamber's open doors, carrying the materials he requested..."Would you be requiring anything else sir?" the droid asked."Nothing." After the droid had left Vader started inspecting the Princess' personal effects...hoping that he will find the answers to his invisible query...what he discovered was not an answer but more questions and revelations...things that tore at what was left of his heart...Princess?...   
  
The Dark Lord stood up and proceeded to the Medical Section...He will have to confirm this...The Doctor on duty was surprised and afraid. He couldnt explain what was Lord Vader here for. His monthly Physical had just gone through the other day..."i must have done something wrong." he muttered, certain of impending doom, as the Dark Lord approached. still he had to do his job.."How may i help you, Lord Vader?" the young doctor asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice, but his voice cracked anyway. "Doctor Reinhard, I want you to conduct a blood test on Senator Organa. Cel Block M-985. I also want you to access her medical records since her birth, up to now. You are not to tell anyone about this.You will answer only to me. Is that clear? Inform me right away if you come across anything.".."yes, sir."...and with that Darth Vader turned on his heel and headed back the way he came...the doctor was somewhat puzzled, Lord Vader seemed occupied about something, but then that was none of his business...he proceeded to do what the Dark Lord told him to.  
  
Leia Organa's fear doubled...no, tripled, now that she was actually held prisoner on the Imperial Battle Station.She stood up...and sat back again...she repeated these actions a few more times before finally settling into a sitting position in the small cot, inside the cramped holding cell...they must have lacked budget when they built these...either that or they plan to kill their prisoners by way of claustrophobia...she thought with half a smile, her wry sense of humor kicking in...but she knew that the prison block was heavily guarded despite its modest appearance...after all they wouldnt be calling this Maximum Security, right? she whispered with a sigh. She reached inside her clothing for the necklace given to her by Padme, it gave her some measure of comfort...at this moment she longed to be her younger self...running through the shores of the Alderaani Bay...Padme fastening a crown of shells on her hair...playing hide and seek on the Palace Garden..."come out,come out wherever you are!....Padme would say....where could she be now?...are you even worried about me?!...she bitterly asked the kind image inside her mind...even though she wont admitt it Leia was somehow angry with Padme for leaving her...especially when you promised to stay forever...she added...but then...it wasnt the right time to be thinking about that, she told herself and concentrated even more on the situation at hand...Darth Vader hasnt come for her yet, not that she wants him to, the last thing she would want was to be anywhere near him, but all this waiting was already draining her precious reserve of courage...why cant they just get this over with?! she thought furiously...for she kept imagining different scenarios of her torture...just when she thought she couldnt take it anymore, the cell door parted and the Dark Lord emerged from behind them..At last...Leia thought grimly.   
  
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Thanks to Heiwa-kun from Animeasylum Philippines for reading this fic! ^_^ 


	7. The Death of Me

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun   
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 7: The Death of Me  
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi,former Jedi Knight of the long dismantled Republic, and Anakin's...former...master, who now goes by the name Ben Kenobi, crazy old hermit to many, lives in the Dune Sea, avoids people most of the time and rumored to have strange powers of some sort or the other, watched the Tatooine skyline, it was still noon, but something akin to a meteorite pierced the usually clear blue sky. "Strange..."...he had been on Tatooine for almost sixteen years, after the Fall of the Republic he and a handful of other Jedi Knights who managed to survive The Purge, instigated by Senator Palpatine, now of course, calling himself Emperor, to remove all opposition to his claim to power and ultimate control...and yes, Palpatine's right hand man had done most of the job...his former Padawan, the once kind and selfless little boy, who helped them with all his heart,even though they were complete strangers, the young man, whom he considered his son, who gave him more than a dozen headaches and equally joyous moments, who would undoubtedly die a thousand times to save the ones he cared about, and he did, from a certin point of view...Obi-Wan winced as he remembered their last moments together, not as Master and Padawan, but as Jedi Knight and Sith Apprentice, duelling to the death in the fiery heart of Sullust...Anakin's eyes burning with pure hatred...Obi-Wan's mind filled with questions, what had happened? what had gone wrong?...he was desperate...desperate to save Anakin, to explain everything, to make all the wrongs right, before it became too late...but it was too late...Anakin had Fallen...both figuratively and literally...Obi-wan won their battle...the Sith had lost...but, Obi-wan could not it see that way, he was choking with regrets, how could have he missed the changes?! how could he be so blind?! "Master, please save me..master.." Obi-wan had heard Anakin's last thoughts before the lava enveloped him...Anakin's mind screaming in pain...Obi-Wan almost jumped into the pit himself, Anakin was drowning in the Dark...but realized it was too late...he had to accept the truth, he lost Anakin...he failed two people that day...Anakin and Qui-Gon...he had promised Qui-Gon...now he failed his Master too...he was miserable...but he knew that there are many things to be done...Obi-wan forced himself to leave Sullust. He had no idea that the worst was to come. And that the galaxy would pay for HIS mistake...that millions would suffer, including those he ever cared about...   
  
Ben Kenobi buried Obi-wan's memory once again...he sometimes thought himself separate from himself...that Obi-wan was not Ben, that Ben was merely a keeper of Obi-wan's memories..his life, his guilt, his pain and agony, that was how Ben Kenobi survived for sixteen years, knowing what he knew,without that pretense, he would have dwelled on the thought that he was a failure and a coward...he somehow knew he had to survive...a small part of him hoped that he could still save Anakin...one way or another, he owed Anakin, Qui-Gon and all the beings who became unwilling consequences of his actions, that effort, the only question was when and how...for now,Obi-wan was not here...only his memories are left and there would be another time to relieve them...an eternity, even.  
  
Obi-wan watched the skyline for a few moments more, before walking back to the house...if you could call it that...he thought with a small ironic smile...without meaning to, he remembered his days in the Jedi Temple back there in distant Coruscant, now called Imperial Center..he had always been the rigid and sometimes cynical one, he often failed to notice beauty around him...even if it smacked him in the face...to him everything must either be useful or they must make sense...in layman's terms he was indeed a workaholic...missions always came first before anything else...so the ornate designs of the Jedi Temple remained unnoticed and unappreciated.."Obi-wan try to smell the flowers, look at the trees, admire your surroundings, for they are part of the Force"..his Master Qui-Gon Jinn would often say, but still Obi-wan remained as "dedicated" as he was..at least that's what he would like to think of himself as, but had Qui-Gon called him a "stiff walking stick" and though the old man admired him in many ways as a Padawan, Qui-gon still wished that Obi-wan "follow-the-rules-is-my middle-name" would stop,look and listen...and loosen up a bit, rather than treat life as if it was one big problem to be solved and analized and to be worried about...he wondered if that was something he had in common with Anakin...only they practiced it in different ways...ways that made them stand in each others light...ways that tore them apart...  
  
//Anakin liked taking risks...at least to Obi-wan's opinion, that is, prone to letting his feelings and curiosity runaway with him,..."Anakin,sneaking around in the temple grounds at night is strictly forbidden, you of all people should know that!"...that what an incident that happened when Ani was barely ten years old, he was as mischievous as any boy his age..."I'm sorry Master, I just wanted to explore."..."Then, why don't you explore it during the day, when you won't be in danger of getting caught, you are careless, do you happen to know that?!" Obi-wan warned his young apprentice sternly.."Sorry, Master, won't happen next time"..."Better not, or I will go directly to Yoda."...of course Ani knew deep down that his Master won't do that, he had a promise to Qui-gon after all, that no matter what Anakin Skywalker would become a Jedi, yes no matter what, sneaking in the temple grounds included, maybe that's the reason the incident kept happening in a span of years, or maybe because the younger one was aware that Obi-wan wasnt as stern as he'd like to pretend, he did cover Ani many times...too many times...until finally, the day came when Ani outgrew the habit, it was worse than sleep walking, Obi-wan thought exasperatedly..but of course, one habit was replaced by another, like being very impetous and questionning every decision he or the Jedi Council made..."Master, why did we have to leave them, they'll kill each other!" Anakin had said, referring to their mission to gather information regarding the Rhodian Civil War,Anakin had been fifteen years old then, Obi-wan knew how well meaning the young man was, as much as they want to help...their orders were to observe, not engage..."We were not here to stop the civil war,Anakin, we're here, so we could provide some information required by the Chancellor, to strengthen the negotiations, in that way, we could help."...the young Jedi was disappointed...Obi-wan could see it clearly...Anakin had a notion that somehow he could make everything right, just because he was Anakin Skywalker..."I'm good at fixing things..."...he would say, as if reality was something of a pod racing equipment...if only that was the case...Anakin was also constantly tormented by dreams about his mother Shmi, perhaps he felt guilty about leaving her...which is understandable because Obi-wan himself had been forced to leave his family at an early age...what wasn't understandable was Anakin's reaction to such feelings...of course he was young and everybody feels that way once in a while, especially in Ani's case, that was his mother, but at times he would either isolate himself or be very temperamental...make no mistake Anakin was very kind but when his anger is aroused, it could be compared to that of an exploding volcano, destructive and all consuming made worse by the fact that he had a very short temper...that seemed to hint some dark prophecy to Obi-wan..."Anakin, I feel as if someday you will be the death of me..."..."No, master, don't say that."...i certainly hoped not...//  
  
Obi-wan had finally reached his house, one made of stone and hardened sand, he doesnt have to worry about it being corroded by the rain since it never rained on Tatooine...the planet was a perfect contrast to Kamino, where rain lashed out in torrents everyday...He sighed..."I wonder how the Luke and Leia were doing right now." he wondered out aloud, while preparing a meal for the afternoon, he noticed that some of his supplies were already running low...perhaps i need to drop by Mos Espa, tomorrow...he thought...for now he settled on Corellian noodles and Parka Bread...Luke...well he knew what Luke was likely to be doing right now, helping in his uncle's farm, even though the young boy totally detested it, but being a Skywalker, he was most likely destined for greater things...and he wasn't young anymore, he's 18 years old already, even though they were living on the same planet, Obi-wan rarely saw Luke, he either spied him from a distance or did not see him at all, Obi-wan decided it was for the best, and besides Owen would have a heart attack if he went closer than four miles near Luke...he chuckled...the closest he had been with Luke was in Mos Eisley, Luke had gotten separated from Owen at that time and was nearly ran over by a Huttese ship..Obi-wan smiled at the memory...Luke had behaved very much like his father, and Obi-wan was sure Owen had suffered headaches, especially now that Luke was a grown up young man, and most likely trying to claim his freedom....very much like his father indeed, but i do hope Luke won't turn out like Anakin, otherwise my failure would be complete, he thought sadly...ahhh...time passes by so quickly, he thought, taking a bite of Parka Bread...and Leia, she was in many ways more blessed than her twin brother, adopted by Bail Organa from the Royal House of Alderaan, she was raised as a princess, had all the luxuries in life, but Obi-wan doubted that Leia had been totally happy...the last time he visited Alderaan was when Leia was seven years old, he knew that as Anakin's daughter, she had an exceptionally strong intutition, and he sensed an unnamed sadness in her being...somehow deep down Leia had known that Alderaan was not where she belonged...she looked so much like Padme...Padme...from what Bail had told him, Padme had asked if she could be Leia's babysitter, and he inclined, that was the least he could do for her...Padme was equally sad, her children...her family...had been separated by the galaxy's enmity, as she often said..."You know, I wish, I had not been a Queen or a Senator and Ani was not a Jedi...I wish we had been one of those ordinary families...like my sister Sola's family...unknown to the galaxy but perfectly content..."...she had said forlornly when Obi-wan came to talk to her, as a friend and Anakin's mentor, Padme valued his opinions greatly and agreed to his suggestion that the twins be separated, even though it was against her feelings as a mother, but if the Palpatine were to find them...Obi-wan knew Padme deemed herself responsible for Palpatine's rise to power..." I never saw through him, I was so naive!"...nobody saw through him, until it was too late...it had been years since he received communication from Alderaan, the last he heard was that Bail was involved in the Rebellion...and that Padme had left Alderaan shortly after his visit, to return to Naboo and perhaps to "die" in Leia's eyes...Bail's wife was ill-at ease with Padme's prescence..Padme must have thought that she ought to make things less complicated, for Leia's sake...Leia must have been very upset...but she will understand when the time comes...they all hoped that the twins would somehow understand... and that every decision they made was indeed for the best...as Anakin did...the time will come when they will find out which of them had really decided for the best...and that time is fast approaching...  
  
After cleaning up, Obi-wan scanned the horizon once more..the stars were shining brighter than usual, as if rejoicing for some unknown triumph...night was falling fast...a new day will replace it, a new day and a new hope...or was this a nightmare without an end...he sighed and proceeded to lock the doors, when he was assaulted by a very familiar Force signature...Anakin?...it couldn't be...when Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, his Force signature had also changed drastically, you could hardly tell Darth Vader was Anakin, his aura had been touched deeply by the Dark Side...but now...he felt as if Anakin was back...and his former Padawan was tormented by something...Obi-wan shook his head in disbelief...he was indeed getting old...  
  
---------------short one, just want to make an update.Thanks to all who read and reviewed the fic, i really appreciate it.-------------- 


	8. Sick Cycle Carousel

Oh, been a long time since the last update. oh but anyway, just to make sure this story won't be added to the lot of things i started but failed to finish.Besides,i forgot to say that this story will span the second (old) trilogy. so it will be pretty long.  
  
Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 8: Sick Cycle Carousel  
  
Leia Organa was confused, she had braced herself for the terrifying encounter with Darth Vader, she marshalled all the strength and courage she hoped she still had, so she could face him without fear, if that was humanly possible...or at least with minimal display of fear...the young Rebel Leader had expected the Dark Lord to arrive with Stormtroopers and most likely, a fully armed T-9870, aptly called a Torture Droid, Leia already saw herself screaming all the way to the Outer Rim, these Droids were known to carry various types of torture equipments,drugs and other things to weaken a prisoner's resolve, hence the name. When she was still a Rebel-in-training, Captain Geron Panaka, Security and Weapons Officer from Naboo, now a valuable member of the Rebel Alliance, showed her holographs of various military equipments used by the Empire, and the T-9870 were designated as a highly dangerous and frightening weapon, no wonder most of her Rebel comrades prefer fighting to the bitter end rather than surrender, but every memory seemed far away...indeed, her fear was even greater now...the Dark Lord's behaviour towards her earlier had been quite disturbing....he came alone, no Stormtroopers, no Torture Droid...and many irrelevant questions...in fact Vader had grilled her with questions about her upbringing...  
  
//"Sit down, your Highness, you will not be harmed"...were The Dark Lord's opening words, he said this in an almost fatherly tone, as if Leia was born yesterday and do not know a single thing about his attrocities. The Rebel Princess sat back down on the bunk bed nonetheless...perhaps he switched tactics?...she thought uneasily...but no matter what tactic he used, i won't give in...she assured herself. Darth Vader remained standing, his tall imposing figure shadowing Leia, but she gave him a defiant glare, even though her insides felt like jelly...his next actions were even more surprising and a little bit frightening, in a different light, as if he was making sure of some phantom discovery...his line of line questioning made the Princess even more uneasy than she already was...."Do you remember someone else with you besides your parents?"....the Princess was stunned to silence for what seemed like an eternity, why on Coruscant's name would Vader ask her something like this?! why was her childhood so suddenly important?...she wouldn't have spoken, until she heard Vader's impatient voice..."Let me remind you who I am Your Highness and what I can do." With that Leia felt the air being squeezed out of her by some unseen force, she never really believed in his "tricks", until now, her hand went to her throat and she gasped for breath. The Dark Lord then stopped whatever he was doing, but Leia continued to hold her throat,coughing..."Excuse me, but what does have to do with anything?! "...she found her voice to object when the burning sensation on her throat finally abated..."Answer my questions, Your Highness. That is all you have to do." the Dark Lord answered with finality...Reluctantly, the Princess complied, it wasn't about the Death Star plans anyway, she guessed the topic was safe to a certain extent...but it does not mean that it would not be difficult to talk about, Leia had never spoken of her early childhood to anyone...when someone asked her about it she would start the story with her school days and the things she did as an adult, how she got into the Senate, the honors she received, besides with the whole business involving the Rebellion there wasnt enough time to mule about anybody's past...not until recently....and she certainly did not expect that she would discuss her past with the Rebellion's worst persecutor...but she had little choice...she started slowly, her hand unconsciously reaching for the necklace Padme had given her, it somehow gave her a measure of peace..."The only one i can remember besides my parents was my sitter,Padme, but she left when i was seven..." She stole a glance at the towering Dark Lord...feeling foolish,she felt she had said too much, it was Vader's turn to be silent, he seemed frozen in place, as if reaching out to a distant memory,whatever that was, Leia doubted that Vader had any good memories though...oh no, i must have said something wrong, but what?...Leia thought with increasing dread, clutching the pendant tightly...she expected to have the air choked out of her again...instead the Dark Lord intoned another query, "Padme...what was her surname?"..."Naberrie."...."Padme Naberrie."..."Left? you said she left?"..."That's what my parents told me, she returned to her homeworld."..."Where?"..."How was I supposed to know?! She never told me, nobody ever told me anything! And I'm not supposed to ask!"...Leia felt fear being replaced by intense irritation..."I see."...Just then, Vader seemed to notice her hand..."What are you hiding in there?"..."Nothing!"...Leia's grip on the pendant was broken suddenly and forcefully, the little token sailed into Vader's waiting hands..."I do not believe this..." was all the Dark Lord had said, staring at the pendant..."Give it back! It's mine! It has nothing to do with anything!"...Leia rose to claim her pendant, totally furious but found out that she could not move..."We shall have this conversation later Your Highness..."...Vader activated his comm.."Doctor, I want you to take blood samples from the prisoner on cel block M-985, now."...."Blood samples??" Leia asked incredulously, this situation was getting stranger by the second...Vader did not answer her, he simply turned his back and went out, in a few moments Leia was alone once more.//  
  
//"Are you an angel?"..."Why do you say that?"..."They say angels are the most beautiful creatures alive, they live on the moons of Iego i think"..."I'll marry you someday"..."But you're just a little boy."..."I won't always be."...//  
  
Darth Vader seemed miles away, lost in his own thoughts, although physically he can be found in his very own Meditation Chamber. Especially after his second encounter with Senator Leia Organa, the Dark Lord could barely stand the sight of her, now that he had an even closer look at the young rebel, he surmissed that she had more resemblance to his...late...wife than he had previously accounted. Vader forced himself to push the memories away...and wondered what had happened to him...he was supposed to ensure the recovery of the Death Star plans, that was the objective was it not?...Grand Moff Tarkin communicated with him earlier, inquiring about his progress regarding the plans...strange...he could not remember the conversation with Tarkin clearly, at least not as clearly as he remembered the one he had with Leia...Leia...Darth Vader snorted, since when did he call known rebels...traitors to the Empire...by their first names, but it seemed rather, appropriate, for some reason. And part of that reason was...the things he found on the princess' belongings, the ring, was that the same ring?...no it couldn't be...but then...and a little token, from long ago, made by him, no, by young Anakin Skywalker, innocent, untainted by evil, given to an Angel, untainted by great sadness...the Pendant...I never thought she would have kept it, until the very end...he thought sadly...but then a realization dawned on him, Palpatine told him that Padme had died, killed on an accident, in which his Master...no, Former Master...Obi-wan Kenobi had been involved, at that time, he had been filled with rage and hatred that Obi-Wan was not able to save Padme...not accepting the part he himself had played...he was away most of the time, fighting...the Clone Wars had taken almost all of his time...not to mention that he had been training under Chancellor, nee Senator, Palpatine...who revealed himself to be a Sith Lord, in secret, fully convinced that the Jedi could not restore proper order in the galaxy...whilst Padme had apparently tried to handle things her own way...and if what the Princess had told him was true, Padme had been alive seven years after his fateful duel with Obi-Wan..."...she left when i was seven..."..."she returned to her homeworld..."...could it be? was it possible?...that, she was...alive...if Padme was alive...then what does that make his Master...a liar...Vader hated to think of the Emperor as a liar...he hated to think that despite all of who was...who he is...he had been deceived all over again...is that so?...a small voice, Anakin's voice, asked skeptically...what if...what if Obi-wan was right...what if Palpatine..his Liege...his Master...his Father?...was the one who had been using him, holding him back, from who he was...who was the liar then....?   
  
At that moment, the entrance to the med chamber beeped, again indicating that someone was on the other side, he hoped it wasn't Tarkin, he simply wasnt in the mood for the later's meddling right now, Force scanning told him that it was not..."Come in." the Dark Lord called authoritatively, gathering himself..."It's Doctor Reinhard, Lord Vader, I have the information you required."...The Doctor entered. Once again the med chamber was filled with the stench of fear...fear...was his ally,it in fact brought him to his current position in the Empire, as many of his enemies were afraid to cross him, but at this very moment, fear seemed to irritate the Dark Lord..."I hope you found something of interest, Doctor.."...the young man started, but struggled to remain his composure..."Yes, I do believe I have found something my Lord." 


	9. True Lies

thanks to all who bothered to read my fic. Just want to update.^_^  
  
Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 9: True Lies  
  
Official Information  
  
Name: Leia Organa   
  
Place of Origin: The Sovereign System of Alderaan   
  
Occupation: Imperial Senator  
  
Darth Vader scanned the report, most of the information at the beginning were those he already knew and so he bypassed those.  
  
Blood Type: AB  
  
Interesting, we have the same blood type...Vader thought. He resumed scanning the report.  
  
He did not send Reinhard away this time, perhaps he could be useful in case any of the information should turn out unclear, after all it was the good doctor who extracted them,the Dark Lord silently congratulated Reinhard for a job well done...the amount of information gathered was quite wealthy for such a short time, Reinhard must have had to break several secured databases to access some of the files, but then why would the Princess' profile be included on the Restricted Access Level 5 Section of the Alderaani Database,of course she was a child of nobility...it must be for her own protection, but Bail Organa's own Case File was only Level 3, there must have been a mistake..but storing the information in that manner was tantamount to hiding it...Vader checked the names of those who had Authorized Access to Leia's file, he found only three, and somehow it did not shock the Dark Lord, the ring, the pendant...they were proof enough, weren't they?, but he had to be absolutely certain, the only persons authorized were: Obi-Wan Kenobi (status: missing, presumed deceased)...a twinge of sadness overcame him once again as he passed over Obi-Wan's name..., Bail Organa and....Padme Naberrie...Darth Vader uttered a small gasp, barely audible, even Doctor Reinhard did not hear it, which was probably a good thing as the young man seemed to be on the edge of either a breakdown or a dead faint, Vader's voice filled the chamber once more,"You may sit for the moment." as he indicated a chair in the far corner, Reinhard settled in uneasily, but Vader felt the young man's fear assume a lesser degree, which for some reason delighted the Sith Lord...back to business...my gut feelings were increasingly gaining proof then...he thought with satisfaction, for the first time in eighteen years, Anakin Skywalker felt very much like his old self, he even dared to hope once more, Padme's voice echoed in his mind...they were discussing the fate of the galaxy then and he was beginning to lose faith in the Republic's ability to bring order...an image flashed in his mind...Theed at sunrise... "We should never lose hope, when the night is at its darkest, bear in mind that dawn is just a few moments away." he could even remember how soft her eyes had been at that moment, how hopeful, how determined... and as his eyes came upon the words written in the next holograph...his suspicions were finally confirmed...  
  
Birth Mother: Padme Naberrie (see attached profile)   
  
Father: Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Knight, missing in action presumed deceased)   
  
Birth Place: The Sovereign System of Naboo   
  
So The Princess of Alderaan was indeed his and Padme's daughter...those very words seemed to drive a sharp wedge through his heart...it has been many years since he felt this way...not since...Padme...and on a slightly lesser degree...his very own mentor, father and friend...Obi-Wan. Anakin immersed himself completely on Palpatine's teachings...ignoring that gnawing doubt that had always been there from the beginning...a lone light that refused to be extinguished amidst the swirling darkness surrounding him, he thought those doubts to be gone with the destruction of the Jedi Order...somehow he needed their destruction as something akin to closure...more than restoring proper order was he need to "know" that he had been right to take the Dark path...that sacrificing his friends, brothers, even his wife, and ultimately his soul had been the wisest choice...a choice he paid for dearly...just when he thought the time of attonement had come to pass...He was overcome with mixed emotions...sadness, elation...apprehension, fear..., he started to pace around the chamber. The Dark Lord felt the young doctor's unease beginning to return...after all wouldn't it be distressing to see Darth Vader in such a mood, the youngling must assume himself to be a dead man walking...well there was a first time for everything..."You may now leave Doctor."...Anakin made his tone as unmenacing as possible...which once again startled the frightened young man...."The information you supplied had been most useful, i trust you not to tell anyone about this."..."Of-of course my Lord."...Doctor Reinhard made one courteous bow and headed for the sliding doors...with a hiss, the Sith Lord was once again alone.  
  
At that moment Darth Vader, the most feared man in the known galaxy...excluding the Emperor, slayer of the Jedi Knights, seemed to temporarily step aside to be replaced by Anakin Skywalker, hero of the Clone Wars, husband to Padme Naberrie and most recently father to Leia Organa...he allowed himself to remember who he was, who he had been...the name...Anakin Skywalker...a name so forgotten...or thought to be forgotten by the man who owned it...a name so loved..so admired...became a name so reviled...so feared...images flashed in his memory, like a never-ending parade, images that saddened...his mother..."Ani, you're so handsome, so grown up...now i am complete..."...angered....Tatooine... "They live like animals, so i slaughtered them like animals!"...and made him happy..."I truly, deeply, love you..."..."Good call my young Padawan!"...Many windows on his mind aligned at that moment...he felt as if he had woken up after a long and troubled sleep...everything seemed clear...like it should have been...he saw it all...he blamed his frustrations and failures on the people around him...never giving them the chance to help him...especially his Master Obi-Wan...who had always been there for him...if only he made things clear...instead, he dismissed Obi-wan as a hindrance to his success...too much egocentrism..."Our mentors have a way of seeing our mistakes than we would like, that's the only way we grow.."...he could see that now...instead of recognizing his failures he turned to the Dark path...and then of course there was the matter with his "other" Master...Palpatine...of course partly it had been Anakin's very own choice...but it cannot be denied that some had been the old man's deceitful intentions and manipulations...as to what extent, he could not know how much...but he would...in time..."Rise, my friend, and fulfill your destiny."...a hateful smile...Yes this time he would fulfill his true destiny...he would make sure...there was a nagging uncertainty at the back of his mind, however...what if it was too late? what if all his efforts were in vain?...he brushed them aside...too much procastrination had cost him a lot...never again.  
  
The Dark Lord gathered all the data pads, he decided to put them for safe keeping along with most of the Princess...his daughter's belongings......perhaps on Bast Castle where the Emperor's hand would not reach them...but he decided to return the Japor Snippet pendant...a first gesture of good will...from a father she may never know...maybe in the future...the gap was too wide, the chasm too deep...The Princess would most likely question her ideals or even lose hope...that he could not permit...he saw Padme's strength of character in her...the courage..the will and most importantly the sense of justice. He was about to put the data pads aside when he noticed an unread article attached,   
  
Other Information: One of a set of twins, twin brother named Luke. No further information on his whereabouts.  
  
Darth Vader was shaken to the core by this simple piece of information...not only he had a daughter...but a son as well...but how was 'Luke'..where was he?...what happened to him?...was he even alive...??...Padme had given him two children...a pang of resentment shot up from inside him...he had two children...but why were they hidden?...he knew the answer immediately...Darth Sidious...Palpatine would kill them...he was sure of that...because...always two there were...Master and Apprentice...no more, no less...his children would become a threat, and thus eliminated...for that he was once again infinitely grateful to his friend and mentor, for taking the necessary steps...Leia was certainly given to good people...and look who she is right now...and Luke...he would know eventually...he would...and Padme...he had a fairly reliable intuition that she was alive...but for now, he will have to attend to the matter at hand...his daughter's life hung in balance and it was up to him, if she would live or not.  
  
Questions continued to assault his mind...but this time he knew he had to act... and fast. He stored the Data pads on a sealed container and placed it on the secured area of the chamber. He already had a plan. The Dark Lord strode purposely out of the chamber, not with fear and hatred but with hope... 


	10. Dreams Pass in Time

Another update. I also make SW Montages see my works at phatooine.net, works by leia skywalker 83, that's me!  
  
Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 10: Dreams Pass in Time  
  
"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."   
  
The message repeated itself over and over again in Luke Skywalker's head...and he was very confused and very curious, as to how the message got there, and who the sender was.... "Who was that? Who could that be?"...She's beautiful...he said softly, although the sound was muffled by his pillow. As if some part of him was afraid to be over heard, even though practically everyone in the household was asleep, except for him, that was. Luke could still remember this day's events...they needed new droids, so when the Jawas came by (the Lars were one of their regular customers), his Uncle took the opportunity...The rest were as they say, history, things he probably did not care to remember, especially that he was not able to go with his friends..."Oh well, should have known...no fun time for good ol' Luke"...He murmured disappointedly. Imagining Colos, Eirine and Biggs having such a great time up there on Beggar's Canyon, while he had been left with the extremely tiresome (meaning boring) job of cleaning the newly acquired droids. He stomped off, probably to keep from screaming in frustration after..."You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done. Now, come on, get to it!"...hearing what his Uncle Owen had said.  
  
The new droids were pretty fine , by Luke's standards, as fine as recycled (most of them anyway) trash was bound to get. The gold one was C-3PO, Human-Cyborg Relations, a.k.a. Blabber-Mouth Extraordinaire, whom Luke had just given a nice, long Oil Bath...whoever made him was most certainly either over the hill or probably bored.Luke could not tell which but, he'd go for the second option...bored...But then it was fun for a while listening to that fellow's exploits, adventures...whatever you could call it...things he couldn't even do if his life depended on it...although after sometime the droid does get into your head...not to mention your nerves..."why do i always have to put up with things like this??"...Luke asked himself exasperatedly...now the other droid was a different story, not only this one seemed to have excellent control of his (it's) faculties...but more trustworthy than the first. The kind who won't leave you hanging on the caves of Curton, while being swarmed by Tusken Raiders...his Uncle mentioned that a lady he knew got attacked once by Tuskens and never came back alive...a close relative..or not...he couldn't remember...anyway, like always...Luke couldn't ask that much...every time he asked the specifics...Uncle Owen clammed up...no use asking really...he thought.  
  
As his memory goes, something was stuck on the second droid's front disk...his name by the way was R2-D2, according to translations from C3PO...and when he pulled hard enough to release it...the message came through...the most beautiful girl (woman if you'd prefer) he ever saw came through with it...not only that, the catch was that the girl needed something from someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi...Luke wondered if that has anything to do with Old Ben Kenobi, the guy who lives up on the Dune Sea (and Luke's one time rescuer)."...well maybe Ben knows him..."...so he opened the matter with his Uncle Owen, now he realized that it was after all, a big mistake...his uncle got all agitated and ordered the droid's memory be erased...not to mention crushing his hopes of ever getting to the Academy...and so, Luke's walk to the memory lane for today ended...  
  
Luke felt a yawn escape his mouth...he made no move to stifle it, for this time he was really sleepy, which was probably a good thing, since tomorrow would probably be the same as today, and the next tomorrow and the next tomorrow...unto eternity...maybe...If he doesn't get out sooner...not later....and sleep was something Luke treasured dearly, for it made him escape this less than pleasant reality which he found himself marooned in. He felt his eyelids droop...and so off to his dream world Luke Skywalker, son of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala (though he could not know that for now)...and twin brother to Imperial Senator turned Rebel Leader Leia Organa, who now awaits her fate on the Death Star (another thing Luke was robbed the right to know) goes.   
  
He could not remember how long he slept...long enough he guessed, because the wind was on his face, ruffling his hair..and someone was calling him...him or somebody else...must be his aunt or uncle...his senses were blurred...and besides..."I don't want to wake up!"... but the voice persisted...a woman's voice, he surmissed...reluctantly, Luke opened his eyes...he was both awed and horrified by what he saw..."What is this place?!"..."How did I get here?!"...he thought out loud...Luke started to look around, and despite the panic-filled thoughts threatening to take over him, he found the place very soothing...not to mention very beautiful...lush gardens... and beyond by what he now figured out as a verranda was a large expanse of water...stretching as far as his eye could see and looming beyond were mountains...green with vegetation...he could not believe his eyes..."Now i must really be dreaming, it was just like the holocard Biggs showed me the other day!"...but for him the most awesome feature of this place was the water...he had lived on Tatooine all his life and old enough to know that water was something very rare and very dear...you don't waste it...sometimes people choose water over other people...as Mr. Fren, their neighbor by four miles, had said..."People you can find everywhere, water you don't."...of course Luke never really believed that...but he remembered Mr. Fren just the same. Just then he noticed that someone was standing at the northern part of the verranda...a woman...must be the owner of the voice...he thought...she was wearing the most exquisite dress he had ever seen...like that dress on the holomag Eirine showed him...Planetary Historical something... and he figured she must be beautiful, even though her back was to him...and she had long wavy brown hair...and brown eyes probably...he doesn't know how but he just knows that to be a fact...and somehow Luke felt connected to her...and felt that he should at least talk to her or something...he approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle...Luke was almost upon her, when she turned to face him..panic seized his senses.."I...uh...I...I'm sorry, I don't know how I got here..."...he stammered, but Luke noticed something strange...the woman was smiling...at him...no, not at him...but at someone behind...in fact the woman gazed through him..."She can't see me!"..he exclaimed in disbelief...and...neither can she hear him...   
  
"You're back!"...the woman said and rushed toward Luke...and ran right through him...his gaze followed the direction she went to...Luke saw her embrace another strangely familiar figure...a tall, blond haired, young man...whose eyes were a piercing blue shade...probably two or three years older than him..."He looks just like me.."...well almost...he added silently...the young man murmured something and returned her embrace...the couple stayed that way for a considerable length of time..as though they haven't seen each other for a long while...Luke could feel their happiness...blissful...but also tinged with sadness and desperation...at last the couple broke their embrace and walked hand in hand toward Luke's direction...he would never remember their faces as this dream when he wakes up...but for now, he could see that they were a handsome pair...truly made for each other..Luke silently wished them luck...and felt that he was somehow a part of their happiness...as the verranda faded from his sight...and back into oblivion...back into the deep recessess of his mind...certainly, dreams pass in time...or do they?  
  
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this one's a bit short, as for Vader's plan, i'm glad he has a plan, but unfortunately i don't, not yet...thanks to those who read this fic. ^_^ 


	11. Desert Encounters

---won't be touching Vader yet, still thinking of a GOOD plan, i don't want Vader being all mushy, at least visibly (he's 40 yrs old for christ sake!). That will compromise the character..After two chaps maybe, I have the fringes of the plan on my mind...In the meantime, follow the story...^_^---  
  
Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 11: Desert Encounters  
  
"It's the crack of dawn for Hutt's sakes!"  
  
Luke Skywalker griped. He had barely slept...or so he thought, when he was awakened by noises in the garage which was adjacent to his room. Sleepily he trudged into the source of the disturbance..."must be one of the new droids." he thought grumpily..."if i could just..."..., Luke reached for the Droid Contol Device on his utility belt...it was dark inside the garage and droids or not he won't take any chances...what if they were thieves? Luke considered going back to his room to get the spare blaster he kept for situations like these...or waking up his aunt and uncle...but what if it was nothing?..."the last thing i need was to look like a coward..."he said and steeled himself as he stealthily entered the still darkened garage..."Great.." Luke muttered, remembering that his Uncle Owen had placed the switch on the far side of the room, instead of on the side of the door..as a result, he'll have to cross the room in order to turn the lights on...He was almost halfway across when a movement from behind the defunct Skyhopper startled him and set his nerves on the edge...alright, that's it!...he was about to press the 'deactivate' button...in case it was one of the droids...if it's not...well...he felt around the darkness for a suitable weapon, his hands closed in on a steel pipe,ready to give whoever comes out a good measure of beating, if he as much as gave Luke the wrong movements...but it was the golden droid who stumbled forward..."What are you doing hiding in there?!"...Luke almost shouted, but managed to keep his voice hushed.  
  
"It wasn't my fault, sir. Please don't deactivate me. I told him not to go, but he's faulty, malfunctioning; kept babbling on about his mission."  
  
"Oh No!"  
  
Luke remembered the little droid...Artoo...that was his name...it seemed like his judgement had erred...it was Artoo who would cost him a lot of trouble...and he means a lot. Luke rushed out of the garage with Threepio at his heels...It was still early morning, most of the surrounding landscapes are still mired in darkness, only a few strands of light from Tatooine's twin suns managed to seep through the clouds...he scanned the homestead as far as his eye would take him..."He's nowhere in sight, how could I be so stupid?! Blast it!"...but if he was going to find the errant droid he had to be calm...even though it was practically impossible, considering the fact that his mind was already running possible scenes with his Uncle Owen...more i told you's and you shouldn't have's...Luke was sure of that...but still, he had to do something about the situation he had gotten himself into.  
  
"Alright, if I could find Artoo before everyone's up, I won't be in trouble..."...and shot the golden droid a look..."and neither would you."...Luke and Threepio headed to the northern part of the garage, where the Landspeeder was parked..."We'd better hurry.."...and with that, the speeder became a dot in the horizon.  
  
"There seems to be a problem with the outer covering Master Luke...".."Oh yeah, I'll see what I can do..."...Luke fiddled with something in the motor compartment. "How's that?!"...Luke yelled through the howling wind...Threepio signaled that everything was fine. Luke turned to face the direction they were going to, as the wind-whipped canopy finally sealed itself shut.  
  
The two traveled in silence for a while...not to say enjoying the view, there wasn't anything much to view but endless rock formations, they just passed Herring's Canyon...Luke used to race there when he was a little younger, before he and his friends set their sights on the much more exciting (dangerous, in his uncle's language) Beggar's Canyon...and besides for someone who lived on Tatooine as long as he did, Luke could probably tell the difference between this-hunk-of-rock and that-hunk-of-rock...silence, until they reached the path which lead to the Dune Sea... "Master Luke, I believe, Artoo may have gone to find the one called Obi-Wan Kenobi."...."Yes, I know, but old Ben Kenobi lives up here, around these parts...I don't believe Artoo could have come this far, but still we need to check...we have to get back before noon. Besides its quite dangerous around here, with all the Sand People prowling..."...."Sand People?"..."Tusken Raiders, they show no mercy to anyone who happened to cross their path. We should be careful."..."Uncle Owen wouldn't take this very well..he really wouldn't." Luke murmured after a while, slumping back into his dark mood. "Sir would it help if I told him it was my fault?"...Threepio offered...."Sure. He needs you. He'd probably only deactivate you for a day or so..." Luke said, his mood brightening considerably. But Threepio seemed utterly horrified by the idea.."Deactivate! Well, on the other hand if you hadn't removed his restraining bolt..."...but the golden one did not have the chance to finish the statement, because something caught his master's attention..."Wait, there's something dead ahead on the scanner. It looks like our droid... hit the accelerator." Luke stated abruptly and reached out the bottom compartment to get a long laser rifle. Droid and Master continue on their way, oblivious to the danger ahead of them.   
  
"Hey, just where do you think you're going??"...Luke asked Artoo with a tinge of indignation, the rifle slung on his left shoulder...the speeder was now parked on the canyon floor, towering on both sides were huge rock formations...walls...Artoo managed to whistle out a feeble reply, while Threepio stood menacingly behind the little domed runaway..."Master Luke here is your rightful owner. We'll have no more of this Obi-Wan Kenobi jibberish... and don't talk to me of your mission, either. You're fortunate he doesn't blast you into a million pieces right here."...more whistling from Artoo, although he sounded annoyed this time...Threepio was still thinking of a good comeback when Luke finally spoke..."Well, come on. It's getting late. I only hope we can get back before Uncle Owen really blows up.". The two of them headed toward the parked speeder...Artoo hanged back for a while then finally followed...Threepio spoke to Luke..."If you don't mind my saying so, sir, I think you should deactivate the little fugitive until you've gotten him back to your workshop."..."No.He won't try anything." Luke responded flatly, while giving slightly annoyed glances at Artoo, who toodled lowly.  
  
Sudddenly a series of frantic whistles and screams erupted from the the little droid...what could it be this time?...luke wondered irritably, it's going to be a long day..."What's wrong with him now?"...a panic stricken reply came from Threepio..."Oh my... sir, he says there are several creatures approaching from the southeast."...Luke's blood seemed to have turned to ice, but he swings his laser rifle nonetheless, the hunger for adventure was much greater than the fear..."Sand People! Or Worse! Come on, let's take a look, Come on!"  
  
Against his better judgement, which was to run away as far as he could, Threepio followed the young adventurer, they climbed a narrow ridge, away from the canyon floor. Luke scanned the canyon with his electrobinoclulars...and found two riderless Banthas...these monstrous, bear-like creatures were as large as elephants, with huge red eyes, tremendous looped horns, and long, furry, dinosaur-like tails. Tusken Raiders mounted saddles strapped to the huge creatures' shaggy backs and rode off to wherever they please...."There are two Banthas down there but I don't see any... wait a second, they're Sand People all right. I can see one of them now." Luke said in a less than confident voice. He continued to watch the activity down the other side of the Canyon, when something huge abruptly blocked his field of vision. Too late...before anyone could react, a large, gruesome Tusken Raider loomed over them..."Oh dear..." Threepio said in a hushed voice and started to back away...but seemed to have slipped, loud clanging noises can be heard on the side of the ridge...Luke seemed to be in a state of near-shock, this being his first close encounter with Sand People, he took in the creature's leathery face, large goggles...it was an ugly sight...  
  
The creature suddenly brought down his weapon, a curved, double-pointed gaderffii, the dreaded axe blade that struck terror on the hearts of many locals...aiming straight for Luke's skull...this seemed to jolt the young farm boy out of his temporary stupor...oh, huttspit!...Luke used his laser rifle to block the lethal blow, which in turn splintered the weapon into pieces...The son of Darth Vader, nee Anakin Skywalker, Pod Racer Supreme was totally terrified, Luke tried to scramble into a deep crevice to avoid getting further injuries...in his peripheral vision he could see Artoo trying to do the same thing..The sinister Raider stood over Luke with his weapon raised and lets out a horrible shrieking laugh. Then everything went black. 


	12. Only Hope

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 12: Only Hope  
  
It had been such a long time since he actually used the Force, although in this case it seemed quite frivolous, to scare off a band of Sand People...certainly no match to battling Jango Fett on Kamino or escaping certain death on the Geonosian Arena...or fighting along side fellow Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars...Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, approached the crumpled heap on the ground...It was of course, none other than Luke Skywalker...he didn't expect to see the son of his former padawan around these parts...and especially not in such a state...Obi-wan placed his hands on the boy's forehead...Luke blinked his eyes a few times, got himself to assume a sitting position and looked around, his eyes finally resting on Obi-wan's cloaked figure..."What happened?" he whispered, distractedly..."Rest easy, son, you've had a busy day. You're fortunate you're still in one piece."..Obi-wan assured the confused young man....Finally recognition flashed on Luke's clear blue eyes...very much like his father's..."Ben?? Ben Kenobi! Boy, am I glad to see you!." Luke exclaimed, looking happily at his one time saviour, all traces of confusion and disorientation gone...."I guess you saved me again.Thanks!"...he continued and finally got up, with a little help from Obi-wan..."The Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly. Tell me, young Luke, what brings you out this far?"..."Oh, this little droid! I think he's searching for his former master...I've never seen such devotion in a droid before... there seems to be no stopping him. He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Is he a relative of yours? Do you know who he's talking about?" was the young man's almost breathless reply, the words tripping over each other...as he gestured earnestly toward Artoo's direction...the little one toodled and beeped more urgently as Luke explained the situation.  
  
Obi-wan nodded thoughtfully, scratching his scruffy beard, a habit he had developed as of late. Hearing someone call him by his true name was something new to him...having lived for more than 18 years in Tatooine as Ben Kenobi..."Obi-Wan Kenobi... Obi-Wan? Now thats a name I haven't heard in a long time... a long time." he said, almost absently, trying to keep the floodgates of his memory dam tightly closed..."I think my uncle knew him. He said he was dead."...Luke said doubtfully, breaking his train of thought..."Oh, no.He wasn't dead...not yet."...Obi-Wan corrected the puzzled youngling...good as, but not yet...he added privately...he felt like he had one more mission to complete...before he finally joined his Jedi brethren, at one with the Force...some he remembered vividly, some merely a passing memory...his Master Qui-Gon, the one he considered his father, much like the way Anakin considered him, before...before Palpatine...before the dark times....Master Fay,the beautiful, ageless one, who would have lived forever, if she had not lent her life so that Obi-Wan could live another day, Master Nico Diath...champion of many slaves...he had met them only once, they were called the 'Nomads' of the Jedi Order, rarely coming to Coruscant, but nonetheless, fighting for peace, freedom, and equality across the stars....and many more whose names he could no longer remember, whose time had come to an end, some were glorious, some were not.   
  
"You know him!" Luke said excitedly, looking very much like Anakin with his wide, naturally inquisitive eyes..."Well of course, of course I know him. He's me! I haven't gone by the name Obi-Wan since oh, before you were born." Obi-Wan replied with a smile..."Then the droid does belong to you.."...examining the toodling droid once more, Obi-Wan thought he recognized it, though he had some reservations, was it possible that the droid could have survived, or was he merely a desperate old man clinging to memories of a time long gone...Queen's Starship, Trade Federation Blockade, Naboo..."That little droid did it!"..."The droid will be commended, Padme, why don't you clean him up.."...Obi-Wan decided that he was done with those memories, and said instead..."hmmmm...Don't seem to remember ever owning a droid. Very interesting..."   
  
A blood-curdling noise...howl...came from the overhanging cliffs, and rocks started rolling down the canyon floor..."I think we better get indoors. The Sand People are easily startled but they will soon be back and in greater numbers." Obi-Wan said with urgency..Artoo beeped and whistled once more which seemed to have caused Luke to remember something..."Threepio!"...  
  
"No my father didn't fight in the Clone Wars, he was a navigator on a spice freighter." Luke was saying, the young man seemed to be preoccupied with repairing the Golden Droid named Threepio...they have finally reached the modest hovell,current dwelling of Old Ben Kenobi, former Jedi Knight..."That's what your uncle told you. He didn't hold with your father's ideals. Thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved."Obi-Wan countered quietly...Anakin..."the biggest problem in the universe is that no one helps each other".."You fought in the Clone Wars?"...Luke asked with something close to wonder, finally deciding to stop tinkering with Threepio..."Yes, I was once a Jedi Knight the same as your father."...another image from the past, Clone Wars, Battle of Jabiim..."Master, you're a General now, so what does that make me?"..."My Padawan! Now concentrate!"...it was a battle fought in the backdrop of a raging storm...they led the Clone Army to victory, and captured the Separatist leader Auron Delory, but not at the cost of many lives, including his own...almost....everyone was mired with the details...it never occured to anyone that the whole war was a big hoax, staged by Palpatine, and they were the unwilling actors, the Sith Lord played both sides, against each other.."I wish I'd known him." Luke said wistfully...If you had, it would break your heart, much like what happened to everyone who came to love him, especially your mother...Obi-Wan thought...Senator Amidala's Coruscant Apartment...Height of the Jedi Purge..."Milady, we have to go. Darth Vader and his troops will be arriving shortly."..."Anakin can't be gone Obi-Wan, he just can't..."..."Senator...Padme, Anakin and Darth Vader were no longer the same man, all that was Anakin died in Sullust."...and it was my fault...Obi-Wan lambasted himself...Padme nodded, then shook her head,her eyes were so full of pain...and something else...hope..."I won't give up on him Obi-Wan, I won't and I can't."...echo of foot falls..."We have to go."  
  
"He was the best star-pilot in the galaxy...("Sorry Master, I forgot how much you hate flying."..."I don't hate flying, but not like this!")...and a cunning warrior. I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself. And he was a good friend...("You were the one who fell in there Master, and I rescued you, remember?")...Which reminds me..." Obi-Wan stood up and rummaged through an old cabinet, just as Luke finished putting the metal casing on Threepio, at last...Obi-Wan found it..."I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damned-fool idealistic crusade like your father did." Obi-Wan said with a chuckle..."Sir, if you'll not be needing me, I'll close down for a while." Threepio interrupted..."Sure." Luke answered absently, his full attention focused on the object the old man held. Obi-Wan handed it to Luke.."What is it?" the young man asked..."Your father's Lightsaber, the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster." Anakin's mentor explained...Luke pushed a button on the handle and an energy packed hiss escaped, followed by a long blue beam of light of about four inches. The light played in the ceiling...The young farm boy stared with fascination at the awesome display.  
  
"An elegant weapon for a more civilized time. For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire."...Obi-Wan continued, but Luke does not seem to be paying attention...instead a question came out of the blue..."How did my father die?" Luke asked, facing Obi-Wan with those intense blue eyes...he turned to the Dark Side and abandoned everything he said he ever wanted...including his wife and his children...but Obi-Wan could not tell Luke that, could he?...Instead he was forced to settle for half-truths, no matter how much he regretted it.."A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father(...Sullust..."Anakin Skywalker was no more, only Darth Vader lives!"...). Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force."..."The Force?" Luke inquired, puzzled..."Well, the Force is what gives the Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."...Or plunges it into chaos...Obi-Wan explained as best as he could, omitting the last sentence on his mind.  
  
The little droid whistled urgently. Obi-Wan shifted his attention to the domed one..."Now, let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my friend. And where you come from."...the old jedi said, while he activated the droid's front disk controller.."I saw part of the message he has..."...but Luke was cut short when Princess Leia Organa's holo-image appeared before them...  
  
"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."  
  
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next chapter: Scum and Villainy 


	13. Scum and Villainy

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 13: Scum and Villainy  
  
No....this could not be happening....this could not be....Luke Skywalker's mind reeled with pain, horror and disbelief...they were standing amongst the smoldering ruins of what had been the Lars Homestead..."Uncle Owen!"..."Aunt Beru!"...Luke called his guardians repeatedly...desperately...all the memories of his home coming back in a jumble of images...and words..."Luke, he loves you...no matter what you think, he does.." That was his Aunt Beru, speaking of his Uncle Owen..."Luke, will you hurry up! I need you here, NOW!"...the voice of his Uncle..."Hey, kiddo, I got you something, I'm sure you'll like it.." That was his 12th birthday,when he got his first mechanical kit...given by his Uncle..."Luke, I cooked something for you..."...Aunt Beru....but now it was all gone...all gone...once more he felt as helpless as a five year old, so preoccupied by his own grief...maybe his uncle was right, he shouldn't get involved...maybe he shouldn't have...he barely noticed when Old Ben Kenobi placed a hand on his shoulder..."Luke, you have to let them go now."...  
  
"It's all my fault, if i could just save them...if I..." Luke said bitterly. They were now burning the remains for good, akin to a final goodbye..."There's nothing you could have done, Luke, had you been there. You'd have been killed, too, and the droids would now be in the hands of the Empire."...he heard Ben say. But it just didn't make him feel any better, such senseless death...all these for what? Luke just couldn't understand why people can be so cruel...a naivette which equaled that of his father's faith on the Jedi Order...once upon a time...but what else could he do?..."I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."...he said quietly, Anakin's determination shining through his eyes...like my father...the man whose image he practically worshipped in the desert sands of this forsaken world...if he only knew what became of the man that was Anakin Skywalker...as they rode the Landspeeder to the Mos Eisley Space Port, Luke could not help but ask questions...too many questions, possibly to drown out his grief over losing his Aunt and Uncle...mainly about his family background...Obi-Wan struggled to answer them, without tarnishing the image of Anakin that was etched on Luke's mind..."Oh, yes..he was a great pilot...have you heard about the Boonta Eve Pod Racing Competition?"..."Yeah, I think that was the first time a human won the race, were you there?"..."No, but my Master Qui-Gon and your mother was.."..."Who's Qui-Gon? Who's my mother? What's her name?"...desert winds whipped the tiny vehicle..."Padme.Padme Naberrie. She was the Queen of Naboo.Qui-Gon was my mentor, anyway, your father was the winner of that race, that was also the first time he met your mother..."..."What??? My mother was a Queen???" Luke asked in pure disbelief, eyes almost popping out of their sockets..."My uncle told me that..." but any thoughts about his guardians seemed to darken his mood...and so he struggled to push those thoughts away...this was really getting complicated...Obi-Wan gave him a concerned glance and a low chuckle..."So how exactly did they meet?"...Luke asked curiously..Obi-Wan would have answered him if not for the fact that they have reached the bluff where they could get a good view of their destination..."Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." Obi-Wan said in a voice full of warning, as they stood at edge of the cliff overlooking the Port.   
  
"These are not the droids you're looking for." Ben intoned.."These are not the droids we're looking for." the Imperial Storm Trooper repeated..."He can go about his business."...Ben said once more..."You can go about your business."..."Just how did we get past those troopers? I thought we were dead." Luke said in a disbelieving tone,while shooing a Jawa away, as they dismounted the Landspeeder..and set their eyes on a nearby Cantina..."The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded. You will find it a powerful ally." Ben said in a confidential tone.  
  
"Do you really think we're going to find a pilot here that'll take us to Alderaan?" Luke asked with increasing doubt as they neared the Cantina entrance. He could already discern some of what was in store for them inside...and to say it was unpleasant was to re-define the word..."Well, most of the best freighter pilots can be found here. Only watch your step. This place can be a little rough." Ben said with caution...and damn right i will watch my step!...Luke thought..."I'm ready for anything." he said as bravely as he could...well, why not, having your family slaughtered by the Empire without justifiable cause sure does make you ready for anything..and anyway Luke doubted that whatever the Empire does has any justifiable cause...Threepio's voice could be heard on the background..."Come along, Artoo." The golden one urged the little Astromech...and the three of them followed Ben Kenobi inside.  
  
The Cantina interior was bathed in a dim, murky light, while smoke curled around them like an ominous looking (not to mention noxious smelling) cloud... which made the scene inside twice as horrifying as it already was...at first...thousand eyed, one eyed, furry, scaly, slimy, long and short armed aliens occupied different spots on the Cantina...drinking vile looking muck...others were playing some sort of game or another...some were conversing quietly while giving suspicious glances to everyone around them....while a few stared into nothing or simply concentrated on their business, ranging from selling Deathsticks to trying to scam someone out of their money...The creatures were in such a diverse assortment that Luke could feel his head spinning...but gradually got used to it...A few not-so-friendly looking aliens stared at the newcomers...Ben hastily moved into the still vicious looking but otherwise human group of scum...a burly, square-jawed, scaly-skinned bartender stopped them on their tracks..."We don't serve their kind here!" it said roughly..Luke didn't quite get the creature's drift and only managed to utter a confused..."What?"..."Your droids. They'll have to wait outside. We don't want them here." the creature said more harshly this time, staring at Luke like he was a piece of Bantha gook. Luke tries to find Old Ben only to see him in deep conversation with one of the galactic pirates...it seems i have to handle this on my own...he thought...Luke turned his attention to the droids..."Listen, why don't you wait outside by the speeder, we don't want any trouble..."..."I heartily agree with you , sir." Threepio responded and the two droids started to head outside. The bartender finally leaves the farm boy alone.   
  
However Ben could manage a civilized exchange with a furry, eight-foot-tall savage, sitting a few feet from him was beyond Luke. He did his best not to linger too much on those vicious- looking fangs that showed everytime the creature "spoke"...which was more like a growl...and the sound of it seemed enough to make Luke jump from his seat straight to the Cantina ceiling...he guessed that the creature was what Eirine (his friend, the self-proclaimed inter-galactic scholar, who dreamt to become a Senator one day) had called a Wookie, inhabitants of the planet Kashiyyk. People with a strong sense of justice, who upholded peace and equality during the days of the Old Republic, or so Eirine says...Luke could see Ben occasionally pointing at his direction while the Wookie followed the old man's gaze... A horrifying laugh suddenly erupted from the Wookie..Luke did his best not to look affected (although he felt as if some just punched him on the gut) and concentrated on his drink, Corellian Whiskey, according to the bartender, and how anyone could stand the taste of it was another unsolvable mystery to the son of Senator Amidala..."Negola dewaghi wooldugger?!?" Luke shifted his gaze to find a large, multple-eyed alien sitting next to him...babbling something Luke could obviously not understand..but he doubted whatever the creature had said was anything close to complementary. The hideous freak was obviously drunk and like any person with a good measure of common sense, Luke ignored it...or at least tried to..."He doesn't like you." a fair looking human chimed from behind the alien...well i don't like him either... Luke thought..but apologized instead.."I'm sorry."...but the human seemed to looking for trouble in the first place..."I don't like you either."...the human said beligerently...the unpleasant creature in their middle seemed to become even more agitated, uttering more unintelligible gibberish...Luke could almost smell the trouble brewing...and he was getting understandably nervous..."Don't insult us. You just watch yourself. We're wanted men. I have the death sentence on twelve systems." continued the ill-mannered human...great...Luke thought with rising panic..an enraged roar was heard from the multi-eyed alien, and everyone at the immediate vicinity vacates their respective spots...Luke tried his best to remain calm, although it wasn't easy. His new-found adversaries ready their weapons..the air was now thick with tension... In the corner of his eye, Luke caught Old Ben moving in behind him.  
  
"This little one isn't worth the effort. Come let me buy you something..." Obi-Wan said amiably, trying to placate the angry alien. But a powerful blow from the creature sends the would-be Jedi Knight sprawling on the Cantina floor, smashed chairs and tables plus a broken jug of Huttese Ale lay scattered on various places near the stunned young man. With a blood curdling shriek, the creature leveled his wicked-looking chrome plated blaster on Obi-Wan..."No blasters! No blasters!" the bartender shouted in panic.With outstanding precision Obi-Wan's Lightsaber sparked to life..and in less than a second, a severed arm was on the floor, seeing his partner go down, howling in pain, the human launched a direct attack on Obi-Wan, holding a large broad handled axe-blade, intending to bludgeon the former Jedi Master...you should know better...Obi-Wan thought as he sliced the repulsive man into two... Carefully, Obi-Wan turned off his blade and replaced it on his utility belt...briefly, a similar situation snaked it's way out of his memory dam...he had been with Anakin then, on a bar of a slightly better quality than this Cantina, back on distant Coruscant, when they captured Senator Amidala's assassin, who died before she...it..could tell them anything..."Tell us now!"....  
  
Luke regarded Old Ben with more awe than before, now that he was a first-hand witness to the Jedi's agility. Realizing that he was still on a pathetic position on the floor, Luke attempted to stand. The Cantina was now back to normal. The commotion had lasted for only a few moments. Luke rubbed the bruised spot on the back of his head...must have hit the table or something...he thought as he approached the old man with renewed reverence..."This is Chewbacca. He's first-mate on a ship that might suit our needs." Ben said, pointing to the Wookie...do we have to shake hands??...Luke thought absurdly. Chewbacca looked at him with curious brown eyes.   
  
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next chapter: Han Solo 


	14. Han Solo

Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 14: Han Solo  
  
"Stay sharp! There are two more coming in; they're going to try to cut us off."   
  
Han Solo tried his best to expertly maneuver the Millennium Falcon between two advancing Imperial Star Destroyers...Our passengers were hotter than i thought...he mused as another blast rocked the freighter...better get those coordinates fast, or we're surely going to fry..."Why don't you outrun them? I thought you said this thing was fast." He heard the farm boy speak from behind. Han almost laughed at the young man's naivette. First time out of his own planet, maybe. The kid must not know that outrunning Star Destroyers were not as easy as working on some farm down that God forsaken crap that was Tatooine. As far as he was concerned the only reason he ever goes there was to "confer" with his "boss", Inter-Galactic Crime Lord Jabba the Hutt. Normally, Han never really messed up, but in the case of the last contraband, there was no other way than mess up, or be messed-up (they were carrying another batch of smuggled spice when their ship crossed paths with an Imperial Inspection Unit on Planet Bevelle, so naturally, Han and Chewie had no choice but to get rid of the incriminating cargo, the thing was to avoid as much Imperial entanglements as possible) ...as he had put it while bargaining with Jabba earlier, more like trying to persuade his old "friend" to get that ridiculously high price off his head...can't believe that fatty-slime even sent the pathetic Greedo to put my lights out, too bad i was too damn good for a low-life like him ...he contemplated when another deadly blast almost sent him sprawling on the floor."Hey, everyone fine back there?" he shouted, before he could stop himself...since when did Han Solo worry about others besides himself and Chewie?...the kid...Luke...was that his name?...whatever, was about to ask another probably annoying query..."Watch your mouth, kid, or you're going to find yourself floating home. We'll be safe enough once we make the jump to hyperspace. Besides, I know a few maneuvers. We'll lose them!"...that wasn't the most reassuring statement of all time but enough to keep this excessively curious passenger quiet...the last thing he needed was a lengthy complaint coming from someone who shouldn't....in his opinion...in fact he wouldn't even be taking this bunch if he wasn't so desperate to pay up his debt to Jabba...no way...but when you think about it the offer wasn't so bad either, two thousand in advance...fifteen when they get to Alderaan....if they ever get to Alderaan.   
  
It gets worse, this time a blast flared just outside the window. Chewbacca grunted impatiently..."Here's where the fun begins!" the pirate gave yet another irony-leaden statement as the Falcon dodged two more lethal deathrays..."How long before you can make the jump to light speed?" the old man asked..."It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer." Han replied harriedly while Chewbacca was furiously trying to keep the ship out of the firing range...which seemed to work for a while...until another violent tremor overcame the Corellian vessel.."Are you kidding?! At the rate they're gaining..." Luke's voice quivered with panic..That's it! Han's patience was out.."Traveling through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"..The ship was now constantly battered with blasts from all directions..."What's that flashing?" Luke asked as a red warning light begins to illuminate the cockpit..."We're losing our deflector shield. Go strap yourself in, I'm going to make the jump to light speed."...All of a sudden the galaxy seemed to brighten, the stars appeared to embrace the tiny ship into it's comforting warmth. They finally made it to hyperspace, away from the menacing prescence of the Empire.   
  
"Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs. I told you I'd outrun 'em."...I know I sound confident, maybe too confident to some...but hey, it's me...came a thought.  
  
No reaction whatsoever from anyone. "Don't everybody thank me at once."...he said in a more forceful tone this time....no reaction still...time to change tactics.  
  
"Anyway, we should be at Alderaan about oh-two-hundred hours.If you want to hit the sack, there are blankets on the back of that mech-case, you can use those." Han continued casually, as he crossed the cargo hold, just behind the cockpit, now recently converted into a passenger cabin. By choice, Han Solo does not stick his nose where it doesn't belong, usually he just minded his own business, but this wasn't 'usually'. He just couldn't get why a farm boy, an old man and two droids would be enough for the Empire to send two Star Destroyers normally reserved for chasing members of the Rebel Alliance across the galaxy...unless these people were indeed members of the Alliance...but they just don't 'look' it, well the old man, sort of, but not the kid...Of course, Han has heard of the Alliance, a bunch of fool-hardy idealists trying to overthrow the Empire. Even though he couldn't perceive himself joining their ranks in the near future, he couldn't help but admire their courage and determination. But then, for people who lived in the world he was in, neutrality was an asset. You don't side with anyone, then you'll be fine. Just walk the fine line as best as you could, everything's all ok. The same rule also applied for bounty hunters and mercenaries. That was not to say that Han Solo was a non-principled coward, he fought for his own sense of morality a few eons ago, at Star's End...   
  
He had been an Imperial Navy Cadet back then, fresh from his homeworld of Corellia, with a promising career, well, that was what his officers had told him, Han was a brilliant pilot and navigator. He had been awarded several times for his excellence, but the number of awards also equalled the number of reprieves and summons. Han was prone to breaking the rules, if he feels he has to..."Solo! In the Commander's office, now!"...that statement he heard a lot of times through his short Imperial career, the last one was before he was dismissed for good because of failing to comply with Navy Rules and Regulations, regarding proper conduct with slaves, he had rescued a Wookie slave by the name of Chewbacca (now his loyal First Mate) from certain death at the vast Imperial Prison, Star's End. His officers finally decided to get rid of the lose cannon who kept rocking the boat. And so, Han Solo used his talents somewhere else. And by the Force, he excelled once more.   
  
Luke was playing swordsman using, if Han was not mistaken, a Lightsaber. A "seeker", (those round chrome colored robots covered with antennae, specifically made for markmanship excercises) hovering around him, apprently the kid was trying to dodge the seeker with his saber. The old man, Ben Kenobi, now sat in a meditative position, a little further away from the rest, while the little astromech was playing a game with Chewie and the talkative, that was the understatement of the decade, Goldenrod served as the coach. Though Han doubted that the domed one paid any attention to the constant chatter of...what's his name?...Threepio. A total pain in the ear drums. The person who programmed him deserved to be locked away at Star's End for as long as the prison stood...no arguments. He was about to leave the cabin when Chewie let out a frustrated growl. "He made a fair move. Screaming about it won't help you." Goldenrod's self-righteous chatter amused the Corellian...he decided to interrupt before "blood is spilled" on the cabin floor, "Let him have it, it's not wise to upset a Wookie."..."But Sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid." was Threepio's protest..."That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their socket when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that." Han said in a voice partially tinged with menace. The golden bucket of bolts came around at last..."I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, Artoo. Let the Wookiee win."   
  
Ben Kenobi suddenly jolted out of his trance..muttering some name Han could not quite catch. "What was it?"..."Nothing Captain. Nothing." was the reply. Well if it's nothing then it's nothing...the old man now shifted his attention to the still practicing, but seems to be going nowhere Luke..."Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him."..."You mean it controls your actions?" Luke asked..."Partially, but it also obeys your commands."...Now Han was really starting to lose it, with all this talk about "The Force", whatever it is, it sure does not control Han's actions..he was sure of that..."Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."..."You don't believe in the Force, do you?"..."Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."...Han answered confidently, which garnered him a quiet smile from the old man...."It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."   
  
"I suggest you try it again Luke." This time, Ben Kenobi placed a helmet on the kid's head, covering his eyes..."This time, let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."...the old man instructed...Luke laughed uneasily as the Ben launched the seeker once more..."With the blast shield down, I can't even see. How am I supposed to fight?"..right, Han thought.."Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them."...was the reply...."Stretch out with your feelings."...Han watched skeptically as Luke stood his ground, seemingly frozen, then the seeker made a dive at the kid's direction, and incredibly Luke managed to dodge the oncoming bolt..."I call it luck." was all Han could say...Ben gave the pirate a hard look..."In my experience, there is no such thing as luck."..."Look, going good against remotes is one thing. Going good against the living? That's something else." Han countered, intending to have the last word, then notices a light flashing on one of the control panels.   
  
"Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan."  
  
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next chapter: In the Name of an Angel 


	15. In the Name of an Angel

Author's Note: Okay, actually, I'll be starting another story, but will continue with this one.Still an AU, will be entitled "Eternity and Infinity", in which Anakin never turned to the Dark Side. I know there have been like "thousands" of that type of fiction but this is my very own speculation. His family life, Jedi life, and a new Sith menace (how could anyone forget that?!).Few OC characters and EU characters included.  
  
Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.  
  
Mirage of the Midnight Sun  
  
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.   
  
Chapter 15: In the Name of an Angel  
  
Mara Jade strode briskly along the corridors of the Death Star. She didn't need to worry about being spotted, the Force cloaked her prescence from the rest of the Battle Station, and the cameras overhead were not a problem at all for someone with her expertise. But she kept her guard regardless, intense, emerald-green eyes watched for signs of unexpected company. Her mission was to extract a certain prisoner from the Maximum Security Section, Cel-Block 985 to be exact. Without the knowledge of anyone else besides herself and her Master, Darth Vader. Leia Organa, was that prisoner, Princess of Alderaan and a Rebel Leader, but also the daughter of Anakin Skywalker. Mara was one of the few who knew the Sith Lord by his former name. He was as close to a father as Mara could get. Anakin practically raised her since she was merely ten years old. The stubborn red-head was an orphan, both her parents were killed in a tragic mining accident on far away Kessel when she was very young....none survived..I'm sorry, Mara...figures she could not remember...but not 'just' an ordinary orphan, she was found to be Force sensitive, and that must be one of the reasons why the Dark Lord took particular interest on her. Anakin wanted an apprentice of his own, even though it was forbidden by the Sith Code, he was always apt to break the rules..."What is your name, young one?"..."Mara. Mara Jade."...that was her voice not too long ago...when Darth Vader found her among the ruins of what was once the great city of Theed...burning...burning...Mara stood amidst merciless walls of flame...but she never cried, crying was for the weaklings, and Mara Jade was most definitely not a weakling...she would die..the flames will swallow her being...it would be painful...she knew...but she won't cry...she won't...she couldn't...the darkness was coming...Mara's light was fading...the darkness kept closing in...and on it's depths was a light blinding in it's intensity...the darkness carried the light...and the light carried the darkness...follow the light, Mara...we'll walk in the sky...Mara...Mara Jade...   
  
She could not and would not fully understand why the Dark Lord bothered with her...perhaps she reminded him of someone..nor could she remember how exactly did he save her from the flames...all that she knew was that the darkness carried the light...but she never would have asked...Mara never asked about her Master's past, what she knew was only what he told her...his name...he was once a Jedi Knight. That is all, he won't talk about how he got the armor, or why...It doesn't matter. Darth Vader taught her the ways of the Dark Side...seemingly endless days of meditation...Lightsaber duels...techniques in espionage...all those, the emerald-eyed girl learned best and fast, she was very independent-minded and would not take crap from anyone.. Mara lived on Bast Castle for most of her young life, due to the fact that her very existence must be hidden from the Emperor, until the Dark Lord needed her services which she gave with uttmost willingness, dedication and loyalty... and not without some measure of grumbling. She never saw Anakin often since he was always off planet, especially when the civil war broke out...and Mara had a missions of her own to be carried out...gathering information about the Alliance, exposing traitors and anomalous elements...but she enjoyed every moment when they were both at home...she lived with the man and not with the monster...almost.   
  
She would never fail him, certainly not on something as simple as this. It was still a risky job, but not enough to give Mara mynocks in the stomach. It seemed only a few seconds ago when the Dark Lord contacted her. She was on Planet Austuroi, a world whose climate resembled that of Kamino, minus the swirling sea.....always dreary and soggy, more specifically on a dingy restaurant called Darklighter's, tracking an important and very elusive Alliance High Commander, who goes by the name S-Prior. No one knows how exactly S-Prior looks like, but according to spy reports, he or she rubbed ranks with the likes of Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, clearly belonging to the highest etchelons of the Rebel Alliance. Mara received a good lead...not to mention a hunch...that S-Prior would make a clandestine appearance on Austuroi, most probably on the small function hall across the restaurant, by nightfall. But an emergency summons from her Master ground her mission to a halt..."Jade."...his cold, metallic voice came through the private, heavily encrypted communications channel..."Jade here. I'm listening."..."Your current assignment is terminated. Leave for the Death Star immediately. I will send the coordinates and explain the details on the way." and with that the line fell silent. Mara detected a strange urgency in the Dark Lord's tone which left no room for further arguments...never mind the fact that she would not see the face of S-Prior, whom she had been following for more than a month...from Coruscant to Naboo...and now here. Mara hastily returned to her vessel, The Emerald Dawn, a modified Imperial Class shuttle, equipped with half a Star Destroyer's fire power, especially designed to travel long distances, and waited for further instructions. So, disguised as a Maintenance Crew, wearing standard Imperial-Mech gray overalls, The Hand of Darth Vader, boarded the Death Star.  
  
Darth Vader had undergone a significant change, that Mara Jade was almost sure of. Something about his aura...maybe. The darkness carried the light...follow the light...we'll walk in the sky...she wondered why those phrases kept on coming back. In her opinion it was quite a surprising twist in the order of things that the Senator from Alderaan was her Master's daughter. The Dark Lord once ordered Mara to shadow the younger Organa, because he suspected that the Princess had something to do with the Rebellion, and he had been right. And it was Mara's information that eventually lead to the Senator's capture. A tiny crack in the Sith Lord's past...which invoked many questions...who was the woman who loved Anakin Skywalker? where was she know? what did she see? had she seen beyond the darkness? and most importantly who was Anakin Skywalker before Darth Vader was ever born?..sure she had seen brief glimpses of Anakin, but...Mara berrated herself for asking too many questions, it's just not like her at all...not at all. The Battle Station was quite enormous, it was easy for someone without proper orientation to get lost, but that 'someone' was not Mara Jade...I'm almost on the Maximum Security Level...you just wait, Princess...she thought.   
  
"There was only one way to make Organa reveal what she knows, then." Governor Tarkin spoke authoritatively, as they stood on the Death Star's viewing gallery, overlooking Alderaan. It only took a few moments for the Battle Station to reach the relatively peaceful world, almost a mirror image of Naboo. "If you had conducted a swift investigation, the plans would have been on our hands, this wasn't like you Vader, the idea to capture the Princess was yours." the Senior Officer continued to reprimand the Dark Lord..."Do you not realize that with every minute wasted, those plans slip further and further away? No matter, I have ordered Organa brought here. Captain?"...Princess Leia Organa was escorted inside to join Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin, her hands were bound...Anakin dreaded this moment, he already knew what was on the older man's mind..."Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board." such poison-laced words coming from his own daughter somewhat stung the Dark Lord, but also gave him a sense of pride....I guess I deserved that, I was blind, but not anymore....he thought. Anakin stood behind the Princess. While Tarkin's hands briefly caressed her face..."Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it signing the order to terminate your life!" Leia recoiled at this gesture and took a step backward...Anakin fought the impulse to Force-choke the Governor where he stood...Get your soiled hands off her!...he thought fiercely, barely restraining himself...but not yet. The plan...he must follow the plan...his agent was already on board...Patience, my young Padawan, patience...Obi-Wan's voice echoed in his mind.."I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself!" his wife seemed to have spoken through the Princess. Anakin knew what was coming and it would cause unbearable pain to his new-found child, considering how much of Padme lived within her...his wife went through great dangers to save her homeworld, and the Dark Lord was sure his daughter would have done the same, if she had a choice, but the fate of the Rebellion was at stake, Anakin regretted with all his being, to have placed her in such a position...I'm sorry Leia, I could not intervene with this one. Not until you were safe. Forgive me...he placed a hand on the Princess' shoulder, meant to give her at least some measure of comfort when there would be none.  
  
"Princess Leia, before your execution I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."... she had expected to be severely tortured, yet it never came, Vader acted strangely, asked even stranger questions and took her Japor snippet pendant, then returned it afterwards, not saying a word...but it would still come to this, Leia thought..."The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." she managed to say, Vader's hand was on her left shoulder, but she barely noticed...a creeping fear now threatened to swallow her, as she watched her homeworld from the looking glass..."Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that'll be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power...on your home planet of Alderaan."...at those words the fear escalated to full blown anger and horror, she longed to tear the monster that was Tarkin apart...how could such people exsist?!...Darth Vader...Governor Tarkin...The Emperor.....I'll never forgive all of you for this...never...she thought, darkness seemed to want to take her very soul to depths from which she would never return...the anguish and guilt of not being able to prevent this savagery wouldn't end...a part of her would die with Alderaan..."No! Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons. You can't possibly..."...she bargained, even though she knows it would all be in vain...i'm sorry, daddy. i failed you. i'm sorry...she repeated over and over, summoning Bail Organa's image on her troubled mind, she struggled to memorize every feature, every expression, of the man she came to know as her father...whom she would never see or hold again....memories of joy, sorrow and love..."You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!" Tarkin's voice floated like a foul, bile-ridden cloud.   
  
Now Leia was torn between her duty to the Rebellion and duty to her homeworld. If she disclosed the true location of the Rebel base, with this station's power, the Rebellion would be over in the blink of an eye. Everything they have fought and died for would amount to nothing more than stardust...yes...they were Stardust Soldiers...."I grow tired of asking this. So it'll be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?"....she had to choose...goodbye daddy..i'm sorry...my people, please forgive me..this was the only path i can take...."Dantooine....They're on Dantooine."...Senator Leia Organa lowered her head, knowing she sealed the fate of Alderaan with those words. A repulsive smile crossed Tarkin's face.."There. You see Lord Vader, she can be reasonable."...the Governor then turned to one of the Admirals..."Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready."...Leia's anger flared so violently that she almost lunged at this epitome of evil that was Tarkin, but Vader's hand held her in place..."What?!"...A chuckle escaped the Grand Moff's lips..."You're far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough."..."No!"...the rebel Princess uttered helplessly....forgive me everyone, please...she implored once more.   
  
Moments passed, a huge beam of light emanated from within a cone-shaped area of the battle station and converged into a single laser beam, directed towards Alderaan...  
  
"Wake up Leia! Wake up...it's all a bad dream.." She had nothing to fear now, her father was here and it was all a bad dream, Bail Organa hugged his daughter, a storm raged outside the palace windows. "Won't the storm ever pass, daddy?".."All storms pass Leia, and a beautiful day replaces them."..."Really?"...chocolate-brown eyes filled with doubt stared back..."Do you not believe your father?" Bail asked teasingly..."Of course I do. You're the best daddy in the galaxy!"..."Ok, you go back to sleep now. Remember, tomorrow's a new day."..."Daddy, I'm still scared, will you stay here until I fall asleep?"..."Of course, little one."...she slowly drifted back into the comforting darkness, knowing daddy would always keep his Princess safe...  
  
...and the planet that was her homeworld was blown to space dust in front of Leia Organa's eyes...  
  
"The Queen was worried. Her people are dying."  
  
...Padme Naberrie, Amidala of the Naboo, told Anakin Skywalker a long time ago, and young as he was, Anakin felt Padme's inner turmoil, and longed to ease the pain however he could. History repeated itself, could he do it now?...could he quench the same anguish that tore every fiber of his daughter's consciousness...could he?...probably not, she hated him now, more than ever. True, he spared her the physical pain of torture...but replaced it with something worse than death.   
  
But I won't hurt you again, Princess. Nor let others. I promise.   
  
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next chapter: The Circle is Now Complete 


	16. The Circle is Now Complete I

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Mirage of the Midnight Sun 

By: Relena Skywalker

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Email: leia_skywalker_83@yahoo.com   
  
A Skywalker family fic. Alternate Universe. What if Darth Vader discovered Leia's identity on the Death Star? Just my little speculation. Revised and re-edited for easier (I hope) reading.

Hey! I'm back! By the way, my thanks to **Elizabeth Hewgley** for inspiring me to write once more. This chapter is dedicated to you. Thank you very much again. I know I'm not the best of writers but, dang! I love my story!

I'm not finished formatting the other chapters, but I'll catch on, eventually.

  
**Chapter 15: The Circle is Now Complete I**

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"What the hell ???" Han Solo uttered in surprise. 

The Millenium Falcon came out of hyperspace to be bombarded by debris, from moon to asteroid-sized rocks. All aboard were shocked as neither of them, with the exception of Luke, who had never been to Alderaan, could remember the planet having an asteroid field before.

"Chewie! Quick! Large one coming this way!" 

The Wookiee and the space pirate struggled to get the Falcon out of harm's way, with not much luck. A titanic chunk nearly smashed the side of the tiny vessel. Alderaan's gravitational field started to collapse, threatening to suck the Falcon in. With the help of his long time partner and friend, the Corellian managed to distance itself from the deluge.

__

It's worse! Han thought. _Now we've got to find someplace to land. What in the Bantha happened?_

Even though in his heart the former imperial cadet already knew the answer, those pieces of rocks were once the planet of Alderaan. He had only been there once…some vacation after winning an incredibly large amount of credits from none other than legendary smuggler, Talon Karrde. Luck was on his side at that time, it seems, as he was the second person to beat the old timer in the game of Sabacc. That was according to the man himself.

__

Han Solo enjoyed the scenic beauty of Alderaan, especially the sights in Aldera, the planet's capital city. Though he wouldn't admit it, as the captain of The Falcon didn't want anyone thinking him to have gone soft. Not even Chewie could make him confess. 

The Pirate was even fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of its Princess and Senator, Leia Organa. The latter had made an appearance in the Aldera Peace Square just in time for the annual Flower Festival. Han thought her to be very pretty. No. Beautiful was the right word. Though her likes were the type of people you wouldn't want to cross. A keen observer would see it in her eyes. Determination and something more shone from those brown depths.

It has been rumoured that the House of Alderaan was involved with the rebel alliance. Or something to that effect. You could never be too sure. Those were nothing more than spaceport rumours. Frankly, someone like Han Solo couldn't have cared less. But still… 

I would have wanted to meet her sometime…the Corellian had thought then. It was impossible, of course. But he had a "hunch" that someday; somehow their paths would cross. One way or another.

An aftershock brought him back to reality. "Sith's hell!" he muttered. _My passengers! How could I be so--? _

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force...as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced." Ben Kenobi spoke as he rose from the cabin floor.

Han Solo was relieved to hear the old man's voice and even more when he saw that the former Jedi wasn't injured. Even the kid seemed to be just fine, although in a state of shock. After all, it wasn't everyday that planets were blown to smithereens before your eyes. And to think that it was Luke's first time off. 

"Hey kid, you alright?"

Luke Skywalker managed to give the pirate a half-hearted nod. _I heard voices. Terrified voices. Like fire, snuffed out. _Thoughts filled the young man's numb consciousness. If he only knew that to be Force sensitive is to be both blessed and cursed. You feel peace, serenity, love…but also fear, hate, anger. Not just your own…at that moment he felt the terror of an entire race on the brink of extinction. Channeled to him by the living Force. The voices were silenced as just as abruptly as they were heard.

The debris that was Alderaan finally settled. It was unbelievable. Tombs surrounded them. "What ? How?" Luke finally found his voice to ask. 

"Destroyed by the Empire." was Ben Kenobi's simple but grim reply.

"An entire starfleet couldn't destroy a whole planet. It'd take a thousand ships with more fire power than I've... " Han Solo interjected. 

A signal starts flashing on the control panel and a muffled alarm starts humming. 

"There's another ship coming in." The Corellian checked the sensors, concern crossed his features as he read the data.

"Maybe they know what happened." Luke's voice floated in the background.

"It's an Imperial fighter." The old Master confirmed Han's suspicions.

Chewbacca started to bark his concern. An explosion rocked the Falcon for the second time as an Imperial TIE fighter raced past the cockpit window.

"It followed us!" 

Han almost wanted to laugh at the kid's naivete, if the situation had been slightly different. Luke certainly had a lot to learn, the pirate mused not for the first time. 

"No. It's a short-range fighter." Ben Kenobi spoke before Han could say anything.

"There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?" The Corellian wondered out loud. As an experienced, at least he considered himself to be one, space traveler, he knew where Imperial bases were. And he tried to avoid one if he could. And if circumstances were not in favor, Han tried his best not to cause trouble. 

__

An entire planet gone. A phantom base…what could come up next? Banthas in space?

"It sure is leaving in a big hurry. If they identify us, we're in big trouble." Luke uttered with concern.

"Not if I can help it. Chewie...jam it's transmissions." 

"It'd be as well to let it go. It's too far out of range." the old man said resignedly. 

"Not for long..." Han Solo gunned the Falcon's engines in hot pursuit of the Imperial vessel.

Next Chapter: **The Circle is Now Complete II**


	17. The Circle is Now Complete II

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Mirage of the Midnight Sun 

By: Relena Skywalker

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Email: leia_skywalker_83@yahoo.com   
  
A Skywalker family fic. Alternate Universe. What if Darth Vader discovered Leia's identity on the Death Star? Just my little speculation. Revised and re-edited for easier (I hope) reading.

Thank you so much for all the reviews…it's been stagnant for so long, I'm having a little difficulty getting back to the story…but I'll do my best.

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Humg321 : Of course, the Emperor would. I'll get that soon. :)

I'm not finished formatting the other chapters, but I'll catch on, eventually.

  
**Chapter 16: The Circle is Now Complete II**

"That's no moon! It's a space station." Obi-Wan Kenobi exclaimed in alarm as the Millenium Falcon approached a huge, spherical monstrosity, which Luke had understandably mistaken for a moon. The TIE Fighter they were hoping to silence disappeared in its belly.

__

It couldn't be…horror crossed the former Jedi Master's normally calm countenance. _Was there really no end to this nightmare?_ He barely heard Han Solo object_._

"It's too big to be a battle station."

A memory…_the confederacy had a secret weapon…only we do not know what it was_ _… our Geonosian spies made certain…plans for a battle station…I highly doubt that, however, we need to investigate further, a mistake in judgement could yield dire consequences…_indeed_…this war will be over soon, my friend…peace will be restored once more… _the voice of the long-deceased Mace Windu came to life_. _

I was hoping you'd be right, Master Windu…you always were…most of the time…Obi-Wan thought sadly. _But not all the time…as was Master Yoda…the dark side clouded everything…Anakin…"I've heard this lesson before!"…Vader…"You do not know the power of the Dark Side." ..Palpatine…"The Jedi were weak.."_ Were we? No. We understand the value of honor, friendship, and sacrifice. Those were the things that made you strong. Not power. Not greed. Certainly not hatred.

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"Go. I'll hold him off. Go. It is not your time to face him again. You have a mission to fulfill. For his wife. For his children…we owe them." Mace Windu gave Qui-Gon Jinn's former padawan a meaningful glance, as they walked to the Temple's hidden hangar. "Get ahead of Vader to Senator Amidala's apartment. You know the rest."

…Anakin…no…Vader and his troops were coming to lay waste to the Jedi Temple, they have secured as many of the younglings as possible, the Council doubted Vader would spare them…little children…whom his former Padawan adored like brothers and sisters…but would receive no mercy from the latter's shadow.

Anakin Skywalker would be incapable of doing such an act of savagery…"We can't end this war by killing half the planet.."….battle of Jabiim.. "Anakin is right."…"We have to help them, Master!"…Oma-dun…"Come on, I'm not about to lose you…" Falleen… 

But the innocent, good-hearted little boy…young man… was gone…in his place stood the epitome of absolute evil.. Darth Vader. Dark Sider. Sith Lord. Those were merely memories…not easily forgotten…as reality was unbearable.. unacceptable.

Obi-Wan Kenobi boarded his ship as a violent tremor rocked the Jedi Temple. Mace Windu saw him off. The master negotiator's expression would haunt the younger man for years to come. "May the Force be with you…" a voice full of wisdom spoke in his mind for the last time…"and so with you…"

"I have a very bad feeling about this.." Luke whispered with concern as the Corellian vessel neared the gargantuan battle station.

"Yeah, I think your right. Full reverse! Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power." Han Solo seemed to share the boy's point of view. The Wookiee growled in compliance.

The Falcon shuddered as the engines ignited to full capacity. But it was too late…

"Why are we still moving towards it?" Panic was quite evident in the farm boy's voice this time…the station loomed nearer and nearer…they could almost discern the lights that illuminated it's various sectors. The Imperials seemed to have noticed the smuggling vessel, too. TIE fighters were deployed from the hangar. Escorts to ensure capture. Han Solo struggled for control of the situation to no avail.

"We're caught in a tractor beam! It's pulling us in!" 

"But there's gotta be something you can do!" Luke's panic seemed to have melted to desperation. 

"There's nothin' I can do about it, kid. I'm in full power. I'm going to have to shut down. But they're not going to get me without a fight!" was the pirate's vehement reply.

At those words the Clone War veteran knew he had to intervene. The last thing they need was an open firefight. Obi-Wan was certain none of them would survive. Force user or not. 

"You can't win. But there are alternatives to fighting. " He said simply, placing a hand on the smuggler's shoulder.

As the Millenium Falcon was dragged towards the awesome metal moon, the massive size of the battle station becomes even more staggering. Running along the equator of the gigantic sphere is a mile-high band of huge docking ports into which the helpless pirate ship was forced to land.

-------------------------------------------

"I sense something...a presence I haven't felt since... " 

Darth Vader barely heard the cacophony of conversations and transmissions caused by the capture of an unidentified vessel along the remains of the Alderaan System. _He's here? My Mas--…no. I have no right to call him that after the things I've done. He disappeared at the height of the purges. I thought him dead. But now.." _

Anakin Skywalker was lost amidst a sea of emotions. Joy above all. But there was also apprehension, fear, and uncertainty. He felt again like the nine-year-old boy who stood before the Jedi Council many years before. The young man who spilled his feelings to the woman he loved. The warrior who fought to restore peace to the republic and the galaxy…

This was something he was not prepared for. Not at all.

"There's no one on board, sir. According to the log, the crew abandoned ship right after takeoff. It must be a decoy, sir. Several of the escape pods have been jettisoned. " A young officer reported nervously as the Dark Lord entered the hangar presumably to examine the newly-captured ship.

The Sith gave no indication of hearing what has been said, and instead stalked out of the hangar as swiftly as he'd arrived. Leaving a very confused inspection crew. 

__

They must be here to return the stolen plans to the Princess – my daughter. Or perhaps to rescue her. An anomaly to my plans. But that could be fixed. He mused as he strode past the long corridor leading to his temporary chamber._ I must warn Jade. _

["We have unexpected entanglements. Comrades of the Princess, most probably. Do not harm any of them. Cooperate if possible. This would make the plan even more convincing."]

["I got that. I'll try my best, Master."]

["Be sure you did. Or else…"]

["You'll huff and you'll puff and you'll blow my ship down.."]

When circumstances would not permit any form of normal communication, Darth Vader and Mara Jade resorted to telepathy. It was far more efficient and less dangerous. Except perhaps when the Emperor was concerned. Anakin was glad at some point to have Palpatine's confidence. But not for long. A sudden change in the Dark Lord's Force signature would have alerted the old despot, to some unwelcome changes that took place inside his long time apprentice… 

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Light years away, outside a Cloning Facility found in the secluded planet of Byss, amber eyes filled with cold rage stared at the darkened sky. 

"You have betrayed me, my friend. And you shall die because of it." The gravelly voice of Emperor Palpatine declared with quiet contempt.

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**Next Chapter: Fathers and Sons**


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